Matilde Hidalgo de Procel was an Ecuadorian physician, poet and women’s rights activist who became the first woman to vote in a national election anywhere in Latin America, helping to transform Ecuador’s democracy and the wider feminist movement in the region. She was also the first Ecuadorian woman to earn a medical doctorate and hold elected public office, breaking barriers in education, medicine and politics.
Matilde Hidalgo de Procel: Early life and education
Matilde Hidalgo Navarro was born on 29 September 1889 in the city of Loja, in southern Ecuador, the youngest of six children in a modest family that struggled financially after her father’s death. Her mother worked as a seamstress to support the children, and Matilde’s academic talent stood out early despite conservative social norms that kept girls out of higher education.
She completed primary studies at a convent school, where she excelled, but attempts to continue into secondary school were met with resistance because those schools were reserved for boys. After pressure and criticism from parts of local society, a progressive headteacher allowed her to enrol, making her the first woman in Loja, and in Ecuador, to attend and finish secondary school, graduating with honours in 1913.
First woman doctor in Ecuador
After school, Hidalgo set her sights on medicine, a profession then dominated by men and effectively closed to women. She enrolled in medical studies at what is now the University of Cuenca (then Universidad del Azuay), becoming the first woman in Ecuador to qualify as a physician, graduating with top marks.
She later moved to Quito to continue her training at the Central University of Ecuador, where she completed a doctorate and, in 1921, became the first Ecuadorian woman to receive a Doctorate in Medicine. This achievement made her the country’s first female academic professional and positioned her as a role model for women aspiring to university and professional careers.
Fight for suffrage and historic 1924 vote
Hidalgo’s most famous breakthrough came in the political arena, where she used her knowledge of Ecuador’s constitution to challenge the exclusion of women from voting. Planning to participate in the 1924 presidential election, she requested to be placed on the electoral roll in Loja, arguing that the constitution defined voters by citizenship, age and literacy but did not restrict suffrage by gender.
The issue went to ministerial and Council of State review during the presidency of José Luis Tamayo, and after debate, authorities ruled that she could exercise her right as a citizen. On 9 June 1924, Matilde Hidalgo cast her ballot in Loja, becoming the first woman in Latin America to vote in a national election and making Ecuador the first country on the continent to recognise women’s voting rights in practice.
Political career and public service
Hidalgo did not stop at voting; she went on to seek elected office and serve in public administration. In 1941, she became Ecuador’s first female candidate and the first woman elected as a public administrator in her home province, assuming the role of “assistant deputy” (alternate deputy) for Loja in the national legislature.
She also served at the local level as the first woman council member in the coastal city of Machala and became vice president of its municipal council, another national first for a woman. Alongside her political work, she practised medicine in Guayaquil and later specialised further after receiving a scholarship to study paediatrics, neurology and dietetics in Argentina, reflecting her dual commitment to public health and civic rights.
Awards, recognition and later years
Over her lifetime, Hidalgo received numerous honours from Ecuadorian institutions that gradually recognised the scale of her achievements. The government awarded her the National Merit Award in 1956, and a further National Merit honour came from the Public Health Ministry in 1971 for her contributions to medicine and public service.
She was also celebrated locally, being named an “Illustrious Woman” of Loja in 1966 and holding leadership roles such as vice president of the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana and honorary lifetime president of the Ecuadorian Red Cross in El Oro. After a stroke left her partially paralysed in 1973, she died in Guayaquil on 20 February 1974 at the age of 84, and a museum in Loja was later established to preserve her legacy and personal memorabilia.
Legacy for women’s rights
Hidalgo’s actions helped accelerate formal women’s suffrage in Ecuador and set a precedent across Latin America. Her 1924 vote forced a constitutional debate that led to Ecuador explicitly enfranchising women in 1929, ahead of larger regional powers such as Brazil and Argentina.
Beyond the ballot box, Hidalgo broke barriers in education, professional life and local government, showing that women could excel as doctors, academics and elected officials. Her story continues to be highlighted by educational projects, feminist organisations and cultural initiatives, and she has been commemorated internationally, including in a Google Doodle celebrating her impact on medicine and democracy.