SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Ecuador

Top 3

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Ecuadorean Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Ecuadorean Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Manuela Sáenz (1797 - 1856)

With an HPI of 58.71, Manuela Sáenz is the most famous Ecuadorean Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages on wikipedia.

Manuela Sáenz de Vergara y Aizpuru (Quito, Viceroyalty of New Granada, 27 December 1797 – Peru, 23 November 1856) was an Ecuadorian revolutionary heroine of South America who supported the revolutionary cause by gathering information, distributing leaflets and protesting for women's rights. Manuela received the Order of the Sun ("Caballeresa del Sol" or 'Dame of the Sun'), honoring her services in the revolution. Sáenz married a wealthy English doctor in 1817 and became a socialite in Lima, Peru. This provided the setting for involvement in political and military affairs, and she became active in support of revolutionary efforts. Leaving her husband in 1822, she soon began an eight-year collaboration and intimate relationship with Simón Bolívar that lasted until his death in 1830. After she prevented an 1828 assassination attempt against him and facilitated his escape, Bolívar began to call her "Libertadora del libertador" ("liberator of the liberator"). In an unknown letter she wrote, she claimed that "the Liberator is immortal", despite the fact that she was responsible for his survival. Manuela's role in the revolution after her death was generally overlooked until the late twentieth century, but now she is recognized as a feminist symbol of the 19th century wars of independence.

2. Osvaldo Hurtado (b. 1939)

With an HPI of 48.91, Osvaldo Hurtado is the 2nd most famous Ecuadorean Social Activist.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Luis Osvaldo Hurtado Larrea (born 26 June 1939) is an Ecuadorian author and politician who served as President of Ecuador from 24 May 1981 to 10 August 1984. Hurtado was born in Chambo, Chimborazo Province. During his studies at the Catholic University in the 1960s, Hurtado became a student leader. Afterwards, he lectured political sociology at his alma mater and at the Centro Andino of the University of New Mexico. He became one of the most widely read political scientists of his home country. In 1977, he authored an influential book on Ecuadorian politics titled El Poder Político en el Ecuador (English: "Political Power in Ecuador"). Hurtado drew progressive Catholics and younger professionals away from the Social Christian Party and into the Christian Democrats movement which was inspired by Christian communitarianism and Liberation theology and criticized capitalist exploitation. At the time, it was the most radical among Ecuador's non-Marxist parties and Hurtado was suspected by his right-wing opponents of being a "closet Marxist". In 1978, he merged his Christian Democrats with the progressive wing of the Conservative Party to form the Popular Democracy party. In 1979, Hurtado was chosen as running mate of presidential candidate Jaime Roldós Aguilera of the populist Concentration of People's Forces. Roldós was successful and Hurtado became Vice President of Ecuador. On Sunday, 24 May 1981, Jaime Roldós Aguilera died in a plane crash. Hurtado succeeded Roldós Aguilera as President of Ecuador and served out the rest of his term. Hurtado is a member of the Club de Madrid. He is also a member of the Inter-American Dialogue.

3. Helena Gualinga (b. 2002)

With an HPI of 29.20, Helena Gualinga is the 3rd most famous Ecuadorean Social Activist.  Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Sumak Helena Sirén Gualinga (born February 27, 2002) is an Ecuadorian environmental and human rights activist from the Kichwa Sarayaku community in Pastaza, Ecuador.