Maria Teresa Ubilla

Uruguayan anthropologist who preserved indigenous languages through educational innovation

Maria Teresa Ubilla (1905-1987) was a visionary Uruguayan anthropologist and educator who pioneered bilingual education programs for indigenous communities. Born in Montevideo to a family of educators, she studied linguistics in Paris before returning to Uruguay to document endangered Guarani and Charrua languages. In 1942, she founded the Instituto de Lingüística Aplicada, the first institution dedicated to preserving indigenous languages through education.

Ubilla's most impactful work began in the 1950s when she developed the Intercultural Bilingual Education model, which integrated indigenous languages into primary school curricula. This approach was adopted by UNESCO as a global model for language preservation. She created over 300 educational materials in Guarani and Spanish, including primers, dictionaries, and pedagogical guides that are still used in Uruguayan schools today.

Her advocacy led to the 1973 Law of Indigenous Languages, which recognized Guarani as an official language in bilingual education. Though her work was interrupted during Uruguay's military dictatorship, she continued her research clandestinely. Her memoir <《Lenguas Indigenas: Un Testimonio de Recuperación》 documents her decades-long struggle to preserve cultural heritage through education.

Ubilla's contributions are celebrated in the documentary <《Voices of the Pampa》, which traces her efforts to document Charrua oral traditions. Her legacy is preserved through the Maria Teresa Ubilla Foundation, which continues her work in language preservation and intercultural education.