Dolores Cacuango (1881 - 1971)

Wed Oct 26, 1881

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Dolores Cacuango, also known as Mamá Doloreyuk, was a leader in the fight for indigenous rights in Ecuador born on this day in 1881. She was active in the Glorious May Revolution of 1944 and co-founded the Indigenous Federation of Ecuador (FEI).

Cacuango was born to enslaved people in San Pablourco who worked the Pesillo Hacienda near Cayambe without being paid. She had no access to education due to her lack of resources, and learned Spanish while working as a housemaid.

In 1930, Cacuango was among the leaders of the historic workers’ strike at the Pesillo hacienda in Cayambe, which was a milestone for indigenous and peasant rights. During the Glorious May Revolution in Ecuador, Cacuango personally led an assault on a government military base.

The same year, with the help of Ecuador’s Communist Party, Cacuango co-founded the Indigenous Federation of Ecuador (FEI), an early group in the fight for indigenous rights. She also helped establish some of the first bilingual indigenous schools.