Juana Azurduy was born in Chuquisaca on July 12, 1780. She was a South American guerrilla leader who in the 19th century fought for independence from Spanish rule. After her father’s death she was orphaned at an early age. Born to a Spanish father and Indigenous mother, she spent most of her early years living in the Santa Teresa convent with nuns. Azurduy appreciated and was captivated by the indigenous people of Bolivia. She knew how to speak Spanish and indigenous South American languages such as Quechua and Aymara. In 1805 she married Manuel Padilla and had four children. In 1809 when the Bolivian War of Independence began both Padilla and Azurduy joined the revolutionary forces and commanded a 2,000 guerilla army against the Spanish forces. She was later a civil and military commander for a large area around Chuquisaca and their army grew to nearly 10,000 soldiers in 1813. From 1811 to 1817, Azurduy fought in 23 battles however, she would dress in male cavalry uniform. She became an expert in fighting with swords, cannons, and rifles. On March 8, 1816 her forces captured the main source of Spanish silver, Cerro Rico of Potosi. Due to this brave and smart act she was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was personally honored by General Manuel Belgrano who gifted her with his own sword. Unfortunately, Azurduy’s kids were captured by enemy forces and were killed and in 1816 Padilla was also captured and killed. As the Spanish counter-attacked, Azurduy had no other choice than to retreat with her army into Northern Argentina, where she continued to fight with an army of 6,000. In 1825 when Bolivia declared independence, Azurduy returned to Chuquisaca, however her efforts during the war were forgotten and she lived in poverty afterwards. She died in 1862 without being recognized after the war had ended, but her memory has been recently resurrected. Now she is considered a National hero in Argentina and in Bolivia and has been granted the rank of general in the Argentinian army, as well as honored with a 52- foot high statute of her in Buenos Aires, in 2015.

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