Catalina de Bustamante

Texcoco, place where Catalina de Bustamante taught, next to lake Texcoco.

Catalina Bustamante (born in Llerena between 1480 and 1490 CE –1536 CE) was considered to be the "first teacher in America" ("primera educadora de América"). In 1514 She traveled to the Americas with her husband and children, where she was eventually widowed. Bishops Juan Zumarraga and Toribio Benavente de Motolinía played significant roles in vouching for her capabilities, and one of them appointed her to a position teaching indigenous girls at a school in Texcoco. Records disagree on which bishop it was that extended the official invitation to Bustamante to begin teaching. Through direct correspondence to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Empress Isabel of Portugal, Bustamante was able to educate and protect the indigenous girls in her care.

Early life in Spain

Catalina Bustamante was born in Llerena, Spain around 1480–1490 CE. She was most likely born into a high social class, as she received access to education in her early years. She had training in Greek and Latin, along with learning to read and write in Spanish. She lived in the area of Salvatierra (area of modern Dominican Republic) until 1526 when Hernan Cortés officially conquered the Aztec empire for Spain. Using these freedoms, many Spanish women played an important role in transferring Spanish culture and traditions to the unstable colonial environment. He also founded schools, including the one that Bustamante taught at, as a means of maintaining order. He mentions the eradication of cannibalism and human sacrifice as examples of why he supported the education of the indigenous cultures, and did not see the native populations in the same positive light as Zumárraga. The Cartillas de Valladolid were small books with introductions to letters, numbers, and the catechsims.

Bustamante understood that education would have been important for these indigenous girls, as they would need an understanding of the Spanish language and culture in order to establish themselves as respectable individuals within the colonial regime.

Social activism Catalina wrote to these leaders for help, they sent more teachers to the New World. Bustamante played a large role in advocating for indigenous girls along with educating them. Upon hearing that Captain Juan Peláez abducted two young native girls, Bustamante played a first hand role in bringing about justice. Isabel acted as a regent in Spain, while Charles V attended to the interior European countries of the Holy Roman Empire. She was sympathetic to Bustamante's cause and sent more teachers to New Spain, along with establishing legal action against these offenses. Due to her requests to Isabel of Portugal, many teachers such as Elena Medrano, Ana de Mesa, and Luisa de San Francisco came to New Spain, resulting in the establishment of new schools for indigenous girls. Bustamante's contributions have been celebrated by the city of Texcoco through the creation of a statue in her likeness, which has inscribed "first educator in America."