María Remedios del Valle (?–1847)
María Remedios del Valle, also known as the “Madre de la Patria” (“Mother of the Homeland”), was a soldier, nurse, and military heroine during the Argentine Wars of Independence against Spain. She became a driving force in the fight for freedom and eventually rose to the rank of sergeant major of the cavalry while serving the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. Del Valle was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to parents whose names remain unknown. Military records identified her as parda, a term used at the time to describe people of mixed European, Indigenous American, and African ancestry. At the outbreak of the independence struggle, she was married and the mother of two children, one of them adopted. In July 1810, del Valle, her husband, and her children enlisted in the Auxiliary Army of Peru (also known as the Army of the North), the first military force organized by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The army’s main mission was to liberate Upper Peru (present-day Bolivia) and Peru from Spanish control. Under the command of Bernardo de Anzoátegui, del Valle and her family arrived in Potosí, Bolivia, in December 1810. She went on to […] The post María Remedios del Valle (?–1847) appeared first on BlackPast.org.
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María Remedios del Valle, also known as the “Madre de la Patria” (“Mother of the Homeland”), was a soldier, nurse, and military heroine during the Argentine Wars of Independence against Spain. She became a driving force in the fight for freedom and eventually rose to the rank of sergeant major of the cavalry while serving the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata.
Del Valle was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to parents whose names remain unknown. Military records identified her as parda, a term used at the time to describe people of mixed European, Indigenous American, and African ancestry. At the outbreak of the independence struggle, she was married and the mother of two children, one of them adopted.
In July 1810, del Valle, her husband, and her children enlisted in the Auxiliary Army of Peru (also known as the Army of the North), the first military force organized by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata. The army’s main mission was to liberate Upper Peru (present-day Bolivia) and Peru from Spanish control.
Under the command of Bernardo de Anzoátegui, del Valle and her family arrived in Potosí, Bolivia, in December 1810. She went on to participate in numerous campaigns and battles, including the Battle of Huaqui (June 20, 1811), the Jujuy Exodus (August 23, 1812), the Battle of Tucumán (September 24, 1812), the Battle of Salta (February 20, 1813), the Battle of Vilcapugio (October 1, 1813), and the Battle of Ayohuma (November 14, 1813).
Before the Battle of Tucumán, del Valle requested permission from General Manuel Belgrano to tend to the wounded on the front lines. Belgrano initially refused, believing that women had no place in the army. Defying his orders, she went ahead and cared for the soldiers anyway. Impressed by her courage and dedication, Belgrano eventually appointed her captain of the army.
Escultura María Remedios del Valle. Photo from Ministerio de Cultura de la Nación (CC BY-SA 2.0)
At the Battle of Ayohuma, del Valle was wounded and captured by Spanish forces. While imprisoned, she continued to aid fellow soldiers, officers, and commanders, even helping some escape. When her efforts were discovered, she was sentenced to a public flogging for nine consecutive days. She eventually escaped and rejoined the army, continuing to care for the wounded. Tragically, she lost both her husband and children during the war.
The Argentine War of Independence concluded in 1818 with victory for the United Provinces. However, del Valle’s sacrifices went largely unrecognized in the immediate aftermath. In 1826, she petitioned for compensation for her service and for the loss of her family members but was denied. The following year, General Juan José Viamonte, a former comrade, encountered her living in poverty on the streets of Buenos Aires. Shocked, Viamonte and several other officers advocated for her, and she submitted another request for a pension. Her case was delayed due to the Argentine-Brazilian War (1825–1828), but she was eventually granted a salary and appointed to the Active General Staff with the rank of sergeant major.
Del Valle died in Buenos Aires in 1847, at the age of 78 or 79. For decades she remained a largely forgotten figure, but in the 21st century her contributions—and those of Afro-Argentines more broadly—were finally brought to light. In 2022, the Mint of Argentina issued a 1,000-peso banknote featuring her image alongside Manuel Belgrano. That same year, a monument honoring her was unveiled in Plazoleta Castelao, Buenos Aires.
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