Irene Morales is fighting for her country
I was reading about New Year’s Eve traditions around the world, and then I got to Chile:
New Year’s Eve is celebrated in Chile by the observation of traditional rituals, such as wearing yellow underwear and yellow clothing. It is said to restore vitality to your life. People who want to travel walk the streets with a suitcase in hand, others hold money in their hand or place coins at their door for good fortune in the new year. (x)
So I decided to highlight a woman from Chile’s history for this week.
Irene Morales Infante was born in 1865 in Santiago. By age 13, she had been a widow twice over (her second husband was executed by the Bolivian military for killing a soldier, although I don’t want to call any dude who marries a 13-year-old her husband, but ok). She tried to disguise herself as a man and join the Chilean Army, but when that didn’t work, she became an unofficial cantinière (wine-seller and canteen-worker) and nurse. BUT! She also fought.
She was such a brave fighter and took such good care of other wounded soldiers that the Chilean commander-in-chief made her a SERGEANT. At the Battle of Tacna, she was wounded but continued to bring water to men on the front lines, then rode into town crying “Viva Chile!” After the war, she “returned to civilian life and died in obscurity at a Santiago hospital, aged only 25.” Now, she’s known as one of Chile’s greatest heroes of the war. Her remains are kept in the Military Mausoleum in Santiago. You can read more about her here: (x)