Antonia Gutiérrez

Antonia Gutiérrez Bueno y Ahoiz (penname Eugenio Ortazán y Brunet; 1781–1874) was a Spanish writer and translator. In 1837, she became the first woman to be granted access to the National Library of Spain.

Biography Antonia Gutiérrez was born on Calle Ancha de San Bernardo in Madrid on 17 January 1781, into a wealthy and educated family. She was the daughter of Mariana Ahoiz y Navarro and , the king's chief apothecary. Her father not only interacted with intellectuals of the time, such as Leandro Fernández de Moratín, but also had an extraordinary library of more than 300 works on scientific topics, dictionaries, and grammar of other languages – books to which the daughters of the family had free access.

The queen regent, María Cristina de Borbón, resolved to "allow entry into the lower room women who desire to meet at the Library... not only Doña Antonia Gutiérrez, but... all the other women who wish to attend," adding that, "in the fortunate event that the number of these exceeds five or six, you should accommodate them, stating the increase in expenditure that is essential."

Antonia Gutiérrez never completed her dictionary, but she did later publish various articles, one of them in defense of female education.

Selected works