Melchora Balandra

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Melchora Balandra
Melchora Balandra
     

Gender:Female

Ethnic origen: Unknown

Events:

1789  -  Lima  -  Unknown  -  She gave birth to her son, José Olaya
1823  -  Lima  -  Unknown  -  She was imprisoned in June 1823.
1823  -  Lima  -  Unknown  -  Her son was hung.

Connections:

female relatives of executed patriots
Olaya network
Women imprisoned, independence cause
Women publicly punished, independence cause
Women smuggled correspondence for the patriots
Women spies for independence cause

Biography:
She was punished and persecuted for being the mother of José Olaya. (Guardia, 48)

A discreet, humble, modest woman from Lima who helped Olaya meet Juana Manrique de Luna so that they could deliver correspondence from Sucre to the patriots. She was an anonymous heroine whose greatest skill was her silence, she never gave any of her son's network away even after he was captured. She thus saved the lives of many women. She was imprisoned (in June 1823?) and remained in jail until independence was achieved. (García y García, 227-228)

References:

García y García, Elvira (1924) La mujer peruana a través de los siglos
Guardia, Sara Beatriz (1985) Mujeres peruanas: El otro lado de la historia