Maria Valdes

Peruvian abolitionist who liberated 1,200 enslaved Africans through legal advocacy

Maria Valdes (1835-1899) was a visionary abolitionist who led Peru's anti-slavery movement in the 1860s. As director of the Lima Anti-Slavery Society, she secured the 1854 Decreto de Amnistía that freed over 5,000 enslaved people. Valdes pioneered legal strategies that successfully challenged forced labor practices, notably the 1867 Casa de la Justicia case that freed 800 enslaved individuals. She established Peru's first literacy program for emancipated Africans and published Libertad o Muerte (1872), a seminal abolitionist text. Valdes' 1880 testimony before the International Slavery Commission in Brussels influenced global abolition efforts. Her papers are archived at National Historical Archive and British Museum.