Trailblazers
March 2024​

Sanctuary celebrates Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez as part of Women's History Month. This brave, decisive, and legendary heroine of Mexico's independence movement provides us with a perfect example of putting community before self.

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Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez
​(1768-1829)
Photo: University of Texas Libraries

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez was a Mexican patriot and a heroine of Mexico’s Independence War. She made her name in history for her bravery when she risked her own life alerting the rebel insurgents about the discovery of the "Queretaro Conspiracy for Independence."

Thanks to her, Father Miguel Hidalgo moved forward the date in which the Independence movement would start to the early hours of September 16th, 1810.* Without her timely notice, the struggle for independence would have been discovered, and the efforts of the conspirators would never have achieved their ultimate purpose: Mexico’s Independence from the Spanish Crown.

She has been admired and praised by Mexicans for over eight generations.

* It was in San Miguel, in 1810, that Spanish army captain General Ignacio Allende defected to the cause of Mexican independence. Allende led the rebellion to key military victories before being captured and beheaded by Spanish Royalists. For those who want to read more about the current culture and arts scene in San Miguel de Allende (SMA), find Sandra Bertrand's "A Women's Oasis." To this day, the female spirit is alive and thriving in SMA.

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Some interesting facts...

• Josefa was orphaned at an early age and reportedly raised by an elder sister.
• ​In May 1789, Josefa entered one of the most notable schools for women in Mexico City, the Colegio de las Vizcaínas. Established earlier in the 18th century by enlightened and wealthy Vizcayans (Basques), the school was run by educated women and was a haven for genteel orphans, young women without dowries, and needy widows. 
• In 1791, Josefa Ortiz married Miguel Domínguez, who around those years was working for the Secretary of the Revenue Service and in the office of Virreinato de la Nueva España.
• She was determined to have a large family after experiencing life as an orphan. She gave birth to 14 children!
• She and her husband supported the conspiracy to overthrow the Spanish crown and held organizational meetings in their home.
• Eventually, the role Josefa and her husband played in the conspiracy was uncovered. They were found guilty and imprisoned separately. She was placed in reclusion in the monastery of Santa Teresa. Due to her rebellious character, she was soon transferred to the convent of Santa Catalina de Sena. In 1817, she was released under an oath that she would refrain from supporting the rebellion.
• Later in her life, she was involved with several radical political groups.
• She always refused any reward from her involvement in the independence movement arguing that she was only doing her duty as a patriot.
• ​Josefa died on March 2, 1829, at the age of 61 in Mexico City. Her remains were moved to the city of Queretaro and deposited, along with her husband’s, in the Mausoleum of the Illustrious in Queretaro.

Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez Statue in Santiago de Querétaro
Photo Credit: Frank C. Muller

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