However, Matilde faced opposition from the community, including the local priest who forced her to stand outside the church during mass and mothers who forbade their daughters from befriending her. Angel Rubén Ojeda, the school’s director, initially hesitated but eventually relented after a month of consideration. Antonio approached the director of Colegio Bernardo Valdivieso, a secular high school, to request admission for his sister. Despite limited means, Matilde was able to attend school at the Immaculate Conception of the Sisters of Charity, where she excelled in her studies.Īfter finishing sixth grade, Matilde expressed to her older brother, Antonio, her desire to pursue further education. After her father passed away, her mother worked as a seamstress to support the family. Born in Loja to Juan Manuel Hidalgo and Carmen Navarro, Matilde grew up with five siblings. Matilde Hidalgo Navarro de Procel made history as the first woman to graduate from high school in Ecuador, and went on to achieve several other groundbreaking milestones. Matilde Hidalgo was honored by Google on November 21, 2019, with a Google Doodle commemorating what would have been her 130th birthday. Her legacy as one of the most important women in Ecuadorian history endures, inspiring future generations to fight for gender equality. She was an active member of feminist organizations and expressed her views through poetry. As a doctor, she also became the first woman to earn a Doctorate in Medicine in Ecuador, using her platform to fight for women’s rights and improve healthcare for women and children.
Matilde Hidalgo de Prócel (Loja, Septem– Guayaquil, February 20, 1974) was an Ecuadorian physician, poet, and activist who was a pioneer for women’s rights in Ecuador and Latin America, becoming the first woman to vote in the country and the continent in 1924.
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