Born: 14 February 1893, Mexico
Died: 4 April 1979
Country most active: Mexico
Also known as: Valentina Ramírez Avitia, La Valentina, La leona de Norotal
The following is republished from the Library of Congress. This piece falls under under public domain, as copyright does not apply to “any work of the U.S. Government” where “a work prepared by an officer or employee of the U.S. Government as part of that person’s official duties” (See, 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 105).
Valentina Ramírez, a soldadera who inspired the Carrancista corrido (ballad) “La Valentina,” fought at the side of General Ramón F. Iturbide. The song does not mention her combat role because the government did not want to acknowledge female participation in the Revolution. She received much less money than the men she fought beside and was impoverished for the rest of her life. The barriers to equality came down only in wartime, and then for only a very short time.