Leona Vicario

'María de la Soledad Leona Camila Vicario Fernández de San Salvador', best known as 'Leona Vicario' (April 10, 1789 – August 24, 1842), was one of the most prominent figures of the Mexican War of Independence. She was dedicated to informing insurgents of movements in her home Mexico City, the capital of the viceroyalty. She was a member of Los Guadelupes, one of the earliest independence movements in New Spain. She financed the rebellion with her large fortune. She was one of the first female journalists in Mexico. Driven by strong feminist beliefs, she took many risks and sacrificed much wealth in the name of liberation.

Vicario has been given the title "Distinguished and Beloved Mother of the Homeland" by the Congress of the Union. Her name is inscribed in gold in the Mural of Honor in the lower house of the Mexican Congress.

Leona Vicario was an only child, the daughter of a wealthy businessman from Castilla la Vieja, Spain. Her mother was Camila Fernandez de San Salvador, from Toluca. Leona acquired an extensive education in the sciences, fine arts, painting, singing, and literature.

Upon the death of her parents in 1807, she remained in the custody of her uncle and legal guardian Agustín Pomposo Fernández de San Salvador, a lawyer. Her uncle allowed her to live alone but bought a property adjacent to hers, something scandalous in the custom of the time. Her uncle arranged an engagement to Octaviano Obregon, a lawyer and colonel, but this trip to Spain was disputed to the Courts of Cadiz. She fell in love with Andrès Quintana Roo.

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