Teresa Villarreal González in Lampazos de Naranjo, (born 1883

Nuevo León Nuevo León, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Nuevo León, is a Administrative divisions of Mexico, state in northeastern Mexico. The state borders the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Coahuila, Zacatecas, and San Luis Potosí, San Luis ...

Mexico – died, date unknown

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

), was an active revolutionary labor and feminist organizer, who supported the

Partido Liberal Mexicano The Mexican Liberal Party (, PLM) was founded in August 1900 when engineer Camilo Arriaga published a manifesto entitled (Invitation to the Liberal Party). The invitation was addressed to Mexican liberals who were dissatisfied with the wa ...

(PLM) during the

Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...

of 1910–1917. She was the sister of fellow activists and prominent PLM members Andrea Villarreal and General Antonio Irineo Villarreal González.

Biography

Her father, Prospero Villarreal Zuazua, founded the Society of Lampazos Workers,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

in 1887 and immersed the family in political activity from an early age. She supported the liberal/radical Partido Liberal Mexicano (PLM) which opposed the dictatorship of President

Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...

(1876–1911). She was forced to flee Mexico in April 1901, with her father, sister and brothers to

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

because of repression of their activity by the Diaz regime. In February 1905 they moved on to

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, taking advantage the

Expo An expo is a trade exposition. It may also refer to: Events and venues * World's fair, a large international public exposition * Singapore Expo, convention and exposition venue ** Expo Axis, one of the world's largest membrane roofs, construc ...

which had attracted a community of radicals from many causes. Here they developed friendly relations with U.S. organizations with whom they shared interests, such as the

Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

, the

American Federation of Labor The American Federation of Labor (A.F. of L.) was a national federation of labor unions in the United States that continues today as the AFL-CIO. It was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions eager to provide mutual ...

(AFL) and the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

(IWW). By 1909, Teresa and her older sister, Andrea, found a fertile environment in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, Texas, to spread their ideas against the dictatorship of Diaz regime through the Mexican press in exile which served the Mexican community in the southern United States. There she published two newspapers, the feminist newspaper '' La Mujer Moderna'' (''The Modern Woman'', 1910) and the revolutionary ''El Obrero'' (''The Worker''). As the male leadership of the PLM was continuously under surveillance, the Villareal sisters and other women like them played key roles in the revolutionary cause. They performed tasks such as carrying messages, supplies and intelligence reports. One observer recalled how women like Andrea and Teresa Villareal took on responsibilities that men feared because of the heightened threats of the revolution: ''"Women in Texas were particularly active . . . had to continue the work men were now too intimidated to do."'' The sisters also made public speeches alongside Mother Jones demanding the release of Mexican revolutionaries imprisoned in San Antonio.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Villarreal, Teresa 1883 births Year of death missing People from Lampazos, Nuevo León People of the Mexican Revolution Mexican emigrants to the United States Mexican exiles Mexican anarchists Chicana feminists Mexican women journalists Women in the Mexican Revolution 20th-century Mexican women writers People from Nuevo León Chicano American women writers Hispanic and Latino American writers Magonism Writers from Nuevo León Mexican feminist writers Mexican feminists 20th-century deaths

Biography

See also

References