Iconic Brazilian Women in History and their Legacy

Latinas in the United States of America comes from a long line of influential and inspirational Latin American women.

There are several iconic Brazilian women worthy of being remembered. For as long as there are people who need inspiration, these women's stories will serve as a motivation for people to strive and fight for their beliefs.

Here are some of the iconic Brazilian women whose legacy will forever continue to inspire women and the people of color:

Dandara

Dandara is a controversial woman figure in Brazilian history. She was seen as a fierce capoeira warrior in Quilombo dos Palmares. It is the biggest settlement of runaway African slaves in Brazil until its operations ceased in 1695.

Based on legend, she was believed to be the spouse of Zumbi Dos Palmares, the last monarch of the quilombo. However, Dandara's feature in the Book of Heroes, arguments opened when some historians claimed that she was a fictional character. Other historians defended her existence. Historians are still in the process of thoroughly studying the oral stories that spoke about Dandara.

Madalena Caramuru

Madalena Caramaru is the daughter of a trader from Portuguese and a woman from the Indigenous Tupinambás. She was the first woman in Brazil to become literate. She was taught to read and write by either her father or her husband.

As one of the iconic Brazilian women in history, she once used her literacy to write a letter to the regional Catholic missionary, Father Manuel de Nóbrega, where she requested the Church to stop its maltreatment to indigenous minors. She also wrote to request support for women to be educated. Although the letters and the petitions were accepted by Father Manuel de Nóbrega, the Portuguese royalty denied the request.

Maria Quitéria de Jesus

She was born in 1792. Even though she had never gone to school, she learned how to ride horses, hunt in the wild, and use firearms on the farm where she grew up. These skills had helped her play her role in the pro-revolutionary troops in 1822.

She hid her identity by cutting her hair and dressing like a man. She was accepted in the army for her skills and strength as a fighter. In 1996, she was recognized for her bravery and was proclaimed as an army patrol.

Maria Firmina dos Reis

Maria Firmina dos Reis, an Afro-Brazilian author who wrote the first abolitionist novel entitled Ursula. The novel she wrote told the story of life under slavery. It was written in the point-of-view of an African girl who was kidnapped from her hometown where she was exposed to a lifetime of cruelty.

An article from Remezcla stated that Ursula is also considered the first novel created by a woman from Brazil.

Iyá Nassô

Iyá Nassô is a freed African slave who co-created the first temple primarily made for the Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian spiritual tradition. Casa Branca do Engenho Velho, a house of worship, helped spread the Candomblé in the different regions of Brazil. Priestesses who were initiated there had also opened their temples.

It was believed by many people that Iyá Nassô and her co-founders Iyá Acalá and Iyá Adetá were priestesses from the Ketu and Oyo towns in Nigeria. There is no other information about the life of Iyá Nassô. After more than a century and a half, the Candomblé is still standing in Salvador, Bahia.