Famous Salvadoran Women

Born in El Salvador, Alicia Nash later moved to the U.S., where she became one of the first women to join MIT as a student. The physicist met her husband, renowned mathematician John Nash at MIT. Both Alicia and John were killed in car crash while returning home from Norway.

Claudia Lars was a Salvadoran poet best remembered for her work Sonnets of Michael, which earned her second place in the Floral Games in Guatemala in 1941. Some of her best-known works include Estrellas en el Pozo, Romances de Norte y Sur, and Sobre el Angel y el Hombre.

Ana Maria was a Salvadoran political figure who was second in command of a guerrilla military and political organization called the Fuerzas Populares de Liberación Farabundo Martí (FPL). An intellectual, Ana Maria was regarded as an icon among revolutionary women. She was assassinated on April 6, 1983 by her own comrades in Managua, Nicaragua.

Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry was a Salvadoran-French artist and writer. She is perhaps best remembered for her tumultuous marriage with French aristocrat Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Tale of the Rose, a memoir detailing her marriage with Saint-Exupéry, was published posthumously in 2000 and became a national sensation. The marriage also inspired a biopic titled Saint-Ex.

Nicaraguan-Salvadoran author and poet Clara Isabel Alegría Vides, better known as Claribel Alegría, was an influential name in Central American literature. The Neustadt Prize winner was known for her masterpieces such as Flowers from the Volcano. She was highly critical of the Salvadoran military government and often wrote on socio-political issues.

Prudencia Ayala was a Salvadoran social activist and writer. A pioneering women's rights activist in her country, Ayala was the first woman to run for president in El Salvador and Latin America. A prolific writer, Prudencia Ayala published novels and poems and also contributed to many newspapers in El Salvador.

Maria Luisa Hayem is a Salvadoran politician and economist. In 2019, she was appointed as the Minister of the Economy of Salvador and is currently working towards reactivating her country's economy. Maria Luisa Hayem is also credited with forming a non-profit organization called Mentoring International, which mentors young people in El Salvador.

Tatiana Huezo is a film director of Mexican and Salvadoran nationality. She gained international recognition for her first documentary film El lugar más pequeño, which is about the Salvadoran Civil War. In 2016, she received the Fénix Award for her documentary film Tempestad, which also won the prestigious Ariel Award for Best Director in 2017.

Maura Clarke was an American religious sister best remembered for her service as a missionary in El Salvador and Nicaragua. She worked with the refugees and poor in Central America from the late-1950s until her murder in 1980. Maura Clarke and three other missionaries were raped and murdered by members of the Armed Forces of El Salvador in December 1980.

Maria Ofelia Navarrete is a Salvadoran politician who was appointed by President Nayib Bukele as the Minister of Local Development in May 2019. She also played a prominent role in the establishment of a bridge named Maria Chichilco over the Torola River, which was inaugurated in 2019. 

Lilian Mercedes Letona was a Salvadoran communist and guerrilla revolutionary. An important member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, Mercedes is best remembered for taking an active part in the Salvadoran Civil War. Lilian Mercedes Letona died fighting in a battle at the age of 28.

Milena Mayorga is a Salvadoran political figure and former beauty pageant contestant and model. She represented El Salvador at the 1996 Miss Universe pageant where she entered the top ten. Milena Mayorga is currently serving as Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States of America.

Irma Lanzas was a Salvadoran writer and educator. She started her career as a teacher and worked as a professor in many prestigious institutions like the National University of El Salvador. Later in her life, Irma Lanzas established herself as an important writer and published popular books like Toward the Kingdom by Faith and Grass Song.

María Isabel Rodríguez is a physician, government official, and academic. In 1956, Rodríguez was among the first set of women to enter the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly. She then went on to serve as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 2009 to 2014. Rodríguez also served as the rector of the University of El Salvador from 1999 to 2007. 

Matilde Elena López was a Salvadoran poet, playwright, essayist, and literary critic. She also worked as a professor at the University of El Salvador. A revolutionary with leftist ideas, Matilde Elena López is credited with developing an extensive literary work favoring women's rights.

Marianella García Villas was a Salvadoran attorney who gave up her political career to establish the country's first independent human rights commission. After the 1979 coup d'état, García started documenting human rights abuses in El Salvador. She achieved international recognition when she took her documentation to the UNCHR. In 1983, Marianella García Villas was killed by the Salvadoran Armed Forces.   

Ana Vilma de Escobar is a Salvadoran politician who served as the Vice President of El Salvador from 2004 to 2009. An important member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance party, De Escobar is the first Salvadoran woman to serve as the country's vice president.

Alexandra Hill Tinoco is a Salvadoran politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. Over the course of her career, Hill Tinoco has also played an important role in the development of a non-governmental organization named Fundasalva, which focuses on the treatment of drug abuse.

Margarita Villalta de Sánchez is a politician, activist, and public figure. Best known as the wife of former El Salvador President, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, Villalta served as the First Lady of El Salvador from 2014 to 2019. During their tenure as president and first lady, Sánchez Cerén and Villalta converted their official residence into a museum.

Claudia Hernández González is a Salvadoran writer who specializes in writing short stories. Many of her stories depict the effects of the Salvadoran Civil War. Widely regarded as one of the greatest living Salvadoran writers, Claudia Hernández González was honored with the prestigious Anna Seghers Prize in 2004.

Alice Lardé de Venturino was a Salvadoran writer and poet. Best remembered for her lyric poems, Lardé has been recognized and honored by the government of Chile as well as El Salvador. Apart from writing poems, Alice Lardé de Venturino also published scientific works throughout her career.

Carmen Elena Figueroa is a Salvadoran politician who was elected to the National Assembly in 2006. She is currently an important member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance. A former beauty pageant winner, Carmen Elena Figueroa represented her country at the 1975 Miss Universe Pageant.

Carmen María Gallardo Hernández is a Salvadorian diplomat who has served in important diplomatic posts abroad. She has also served in various representative roles in international organizations such as the United Nations. Carmen María Gallardo Hernández has also received many accolades over the course of her illustrious career.

Cristina Cornejo is a Salvadoran politician, feminist, and lawyer. An important member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, Cornejo has held prominent offices. Cristina Cornejo is also one of the most important members of the Mélida Anaya Montes Women's Movement Association.

Karina Sosa is a Salvadoran politician and a member of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. During the 2019 presidential election, Sosa achieved popularity as the running mate of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front's presidential candidate, Hugo Martínez.

Jacinta Escudos is a Salvadoran novelist, poet, and short story writer. Her extensive body of work also includes journalistic chronicles and creative nonfiction. She also works as a translator as she is fluent in English, Spanish, German, and French. Jacinta Escudos also contributes as a blogger and is well known for her official blog, Jacintario.