María Cadilla

Dr. María Cadilla Colón de Martínez (December 21, 1884 – August 23, 1951) was a Puerto Rican writer, educator, women's rights activist and one of the first women in Puerto Rico to earn a doctoral degree.

Early years Cadilla lived with her parents, Armando Cadilla Fernández and Catalina Colón Nieves, in the northwestern town of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, where she was born. There she received her primary and secondary education. As a child she became interested in writing stories which she shared with her classmates. In 1902, she graduated from high school and enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico.

In 1906, Cadilla earned her bachelor's degree in Arts and Education. She taught school in some of the towns surrounding the San Juan metropolitan area. After a short period of time, Cadilla went to the United States where she earned her teachers degree. She attended the Academy of Francisco Oller and took classes in plastic arts, after she returned to the island. The Atheneum of Puerto Rico awarded her a prize for one of her works in 1914. Cadilla earned her master's degree from the University of Puerto Rico. She went to Spain where she attended the Central University of Madrid. Among her professors were the Spanish writer Américo Castro and poet Dámaso Alonso. She earned her doctoral degree in 1933 with the thesis La Poesia Popular de Puerto Rico (The Popular Poetry of Puerto Rico).

Educator When Cadilla returned to Puerto Rico, she was hired by her alma mater, where she taught history and literature. She was also named principal of a local school in her hometown, which required that she often travel to Arecibo. Cadilla dedicated many hours of her spare time investigating Puerto Rico's folklore.