Marta Echazú

Peruvian educator who established the first secular school for girls in South America

Marta Echazú (1837–1915) founded Peru's first secular girls' school in 1857, breaking the Catholic Church's monopoly on education. Her Escuela de Artes y Oficios para Mujeres taught practical skills like sewing and bookkeeping alongside academic subjects. She later created the Escuela Normal Mixta (1876), the first teacher training college admitting women. Despite opposition from conservative elites, she trained over 2,000 teachers. Her advocacy led to the 1876 law requiring girls' education. Recent research highlights her work in Journal of Latin American Women Studies. Her legacy is preserved in Lima's National History Museum.