Tránsito Amaguaña's 112th Birthday

Today’s Doodle honors Ecuadorian Quechua activist Tránsito Amaguaña on her 112th birthday. She was an advocate who fought to secure legal rights for Ecuador’s farm workers, Indigenous communities, and women. 

Rosa Elena Tránsito Amaguaña Alba or “Mama Tránsito” was born on this day in 1909 in San Miguel de Pesillo, Ecuador. Her family were huasipungueros—farmers who labored seven days a week on a hacienda with no pay except a small plot of land for growing food. Although Amaguaña’s mother hoped she could attend school long enough to become literate, her education was cut short when she was forced into domestic work on the hacienda at a young age. In 1930, Amaguaña walked barefoot for several days to Quito with her small children in tow over 25 times to join protesters in demanding a salary and a day of rest each week for hacienda workers like her family and neighbors.

This event marked the start of Amaguaña’s tireless lifelong activism. She fulfilled her mother’s wish on trips to Cuba where she learned to read and write; and how to organize land collectives and labor unions. She helped organize Ecuador’s first farm worker unions and in 1931, she participated in the unions’ first strike in Olmedo. Amaguaña continued traveling throughout the region but returned to Quito often, where she developed a close friendship with fellow activist Dolores Cacuango. Alongside other Indigenous leaders, they co-founded the Federación Ecuatoriana de Indios (Ecuadorian Indian Federation) in 1944 which advocated for terminating hacienda ownership and returning the land to the local workers.

After years of struggle, labor laws were eventually passed to protect farm workers. Not wanting Indigenous children to face the same education restrictions she experienced, Amaguaña helped found four schools with classes taught in Spanish and Quechua. A school in Guayaquil, Ecuador that bears her name preserves her multifaceted legacy.

Happy Birthday, Tránsito Amaguaña!