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Petrona Hernández López

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Petrona Hernández López
Born
Maria de la Cruz

3 May 1890?
Died14 February 2007
El Carmen
Other namesAmanda Aguilar
OccupationRevolutionary

Petrona Hernández López (3 May 1890? - 14 February 2007), born Maria de la Cruz, better known as Amanda Aguilar, was a revolutionary from Nicaragua.

Biography

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Maria de la Cruz was reputedly born on 3 May 1890, she adopted the name Amanda Aguilar as a revolutionary and then later adopted the name Petrona Hernández López for her own protection.[1] Her family lived in poverty in a rural area.[2]

López was a member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) and fought for Nicaraguan independence against the Somocista dynasty from the 1930s until 1979.[1] In 1961 her whole family joined the FSLN.[3] She had three children, two of whom were killed by the dictatorship.[4] Two of her brothers, Juan and Esteban Hernández, were also killed: they were thrown from an aeroplane.[4] Her mother, María Venancia, was also part of the revolutionary struggle.[4] In the 1920s they both collaborated with Sandino against the occupation by US Marines.[5]

López died on 14 February 2007. After her death, president Daniel Ortega paid tribute to her heroism in the war.[6] At her death she was considered the oldest woman in Nicaruagua.[7] She was buried in El Carmen, Rancho Grande, at the church of the Assemblies of God.[8]

The Women of the Cua

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During the 1960s many women from the municipality of El Cuá organised themselves so that they could support the guerrillas.[3] In 1968, the area was attacked by the Somocista National Guard: the men were killed and the women were imprisoned.[3] The National Guard wanted to obtain information about guerrilla activity, but the women refused to collaborate, as a result nineteen of these women were raped and tortured.[6] These nineteen became known as the Women of the Cua.[3] After six months of imprisonment, rape and torture they were released.[4] Her mother, María Venancia, died during captivity.[9] Upon release, López was spoke out about their experience, which shocked public opinion.[2] López was the oldest member of the group, and became known as their leader.[10] Other members included: Gladys Baez, Gloria Martinez, Doris Tijerino, amongst others.[11]

Their heroism was recorded in a poem by Ernesto Cardenal, which was published in 1985.[12] It became a popular revolutionary song written by Carlos Mejía Godoy.[4]

Awards

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The Order of Augusto Cesar Sandino - posthumously awarded, 2017.[6]

Legacy

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In 2019 The Women Militants of the FSLN “Amanda Aguilar” were established as a campaign group for gender equality with the organisation, named after Lopez's revolutionary alias.[13]

Aguilar on Film

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References

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  1. ^ a b Diario, El Nuevo. "El Nuevo Diario". Elnuevodiario.com.ni (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  2. ^ a b "Mujeres sandinistas para la Historia". www.mujeresenred.net. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  3. ^ a b c d "Antiwar Songs (AWS): Carlos Mejía Godoy - Las Mujeres del Cuá". www.antiwarsongs.org. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Before the death of Amanda Aguilar: 116 years of history". IUF - Latin American Regional Secretariat -. Archived from the original on 2007-11-04.
  5. ^ González-Rivera, Victoria, 1969- (2011). Before the revolution : women's rights and right-wing politics in Nicaragua, 1821-1979. University Park, Pa.: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-271-05058-4. OCLC 779849909.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b c "Daniel rinde homenaje póstumo a heroína nicaragüense - LVDS". La Voz del Sandinismo (in Spanish). 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  7. ^ "Claims From Nicaragua (Age 108+)". The 110 Club. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  8. ^ Diario, El Nuevo. "El Nuevo Diario". El Nuevo Diario. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  9. ^ "Las Mujeres del Cuá: Un horrible relato". Cuaderno Sandinista (in Spanish). 2019-10-04. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
  10. ^ Ferrero Blanco, María Dolores. (2010). La Nicaragua de los Somoza. Huelva: Universidad de Huelva. p. 315. ISBN 978-84-16621-44-6. OCLC 966456255.
  11. ^ Las Mujeres del Cuá, retrieved 2020-01-05
  12. ^ Passaro, Joanne (1987-09-01). "Conceptualizations of gender: An example from Nicaragua". Feminist Issues. 7 (2): 49–60. doi:10.1007/BF02933926. ISSN 1936-4717. S2CID 143650647.
  13. ^ "Mujeres sandinistas "Amanda Aguilar" se capacitan en diversos temas | La Gente | Radio La Primerísima". www.radiolaprimerisima.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-01-05.