Eight Latin American Indigenous Women Activists You Should Know About

The world has seen countless inspiring women rise to fight for justice and equality, particularly for marginalized and oppressed communities. Their tireless advocacy has brought much-needed attention to issues such as women’s and Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and preserving Indigenous knowledge and culture.

To mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day, we’re highlighting six Latin American Indigenous women whose work has shaped struggles for Indigenous rights, gender equality, environmental justice, and community self-determination.

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Helena Gualinga

Helena Gualinga is a Kichwa environmental and human-rights activist from the Sarayaku community in Ecuador’s Amazon. Born in 2002, she grew up amid her community’s fight against oil development and, coming from a family of advocates, she became a spokesperson for Sarayaku’s defense of Indigenous territory. 

She co-founded Polluters Out, a youth-led coalition pushing to remove fossil-fuel industry influence from climate policy and keep fossil fuels off Indigenous lands. Gualinga has brought her community’s demands to international forums including the UN climate negotiations, and continues advocating for her community.

Txai Suruí

Txai Suruí is a Paiter Suruí activist and lawyer from Rondônia, Brazil, who works at the intersection of Indigenous rights, climate justice, and Amazon protection. She founded the Indigenous Youth Movement of Rondônia and coordinates Kanindé, an ethno-environmental defense association that has supported Indigenous communities for more than 30 years.

In 2021, she became the only Brazilian and Latin American indigenous speaker at the opening of COP26 in Glasgow. She addressed 100 heads of state and urged them to include native populations who are dedicated to fighting climate destruction and deforestation in global decisions. Today, she continues her advocacy work in Brazil and uses her platform to speak about environmental issues and support Indigenous women. 

Comandanta Ramona

Comandanta Ramona, a Tzotzil woman from Chiapas, became one of the most prominent Indigenous women leaders of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, or EZLN.

Alongside Major Ana María and other Zapatista organizers, Ramona helped gather Indigenous women’s demands that informed the Revolutionary Women’s Law, adopted by the EZLN in 1993. It recognized rights including political participation, education, health care, work, reproductive choice, and protection from violence and mistreatment.

Ramona died of cancer in 2006, but her leadership helped make women’s rights central to the Zapatistas’ broader struggle for Indigenous autonomy and continues to influence activists in Mexico and beyond.

Rigoberta Menchú

Rigoberta Menchú, a K’iche’ Maya woman from Guatemala, became one of the world’s most recognized Indigenous rights advocates after speaking internationally about the violence and discrimination experienced by Indigenous Guatemalans.

Raised in an Indigenous peasant family, Menchú became involved in social justice movements at a young age and joined the Committee of Peasant Unity, which organized around land rights and protections for rural and Indigenous communities. During Guatemala’s civil war, she drew international attention to human-rights abuses against Indigenous people.

Her 1983 book, “I, Rigoberta Menchú,” brought her experiences and those of her community to a global audience. In 1992, she received the Nobel Peace Prize. Today, she continues using her voice, and her work continues through the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation.

Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic

Aura Lolita Chávez Ixcaquic is a K’iche’ Maya activist from Guatemala who has spent years defending Indigenous territories from mining, hydroelectric projects, and other extractive development.

Through the Council of K’iche’ Peoples for the Defense of Life, Mother Nature, Land, and Territory, Chávez has helped communities fight projects they say threaten their water, forests, land, and traditional ways of life. Central to her activism is the principle that Indigenous communities should have a say in what happens on their territories.

That work has come at a steep cost. After facing threats, attacks, and criminalization, Chávez left Guatemala in 2017 and spent roughly seven years in exile. She returned in June 2024 accompanied by Indigenous, environmental, and feminist organizations.

Since then, she has continued speaking out about the persecution of Indigenous defenders and the violence faced by women challenging powerful political and economic interests.

Guadalupe Vázquez Luna

Guadalupe “Lupita” Vázquez Luna is a Tzotzil Indigenous-rights activist and community leader associated with Las Abejas de Acteal, a pacifist organization in Chiapas, Mexico.

Vázquez Luna is a survivor of the 1997 Acteal massacre, in which 45 Indigenous people were killed while gathered in prayer. She lost several members of her family in the massacre and has spent years demanding justice for the victims and opposing the militarization and political repression of Indigenous communities.

Her activism focuses on preserving the memory of Acteal, challenging impunity, and defending the right of Indigenous communities to live in peace. In recent years, she has continued representing Las Abejas at public events and international forums.

Berta Cáceres

Berta Cáceres was a Honduran Indigenous rights and environmental activist whose defense of Lenca territory made her an internationally recognized figure.

Cáceres co-founded the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), which organized against large-scale development projects threatening Indigenous lands and natural resources.

Her activism also focused on women’s power within Indigenous movements. Cáceres advocated for women’s participation in community leadership and supported initiatives aimed at strengthening their economic independence.

Cáceres was assassinated in her home in 2016 after years of threats related to her activism. Her killing drew international attention to the dangers faced by environmental and Indigenous land defenders, while her work continues to inspire movements in Honduras and beyond.

Leydy Pech

Leydy Araceli Pech Martín is a Maya beekeeper and environmental defender from Hopelchén, Campeche, Mexico, who helped take on one of the world’s largest agricultural corporations.

Pech became a leading opponent of genetically modified soy cultivation and pesticide use that Maya beekeepers argued threatened forests, bees, honey production, and their livelihoods. She helped organize a coalition of Maya beekeepers, Indigenous communities, and environmental advocates challenging Monsanto’s plans to grow genetically modified soy in the Yucatán Peninsula.

The campaign reached Mexico’s Supreme Court, which ruled in 2015 that the government had failed to properly consult affected Maya communities before issuing permits. In 2017, Mexico revoked Monsanto’s permit to grow genetically modified soy in seven states.

For Pech and other Maya beekeepers, protecting bees was inseparable from protecting forests, livelihoods, food systems, and ancestral territory. In 2020, Pech received the Goldman Environmental Prize for her leadership.

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The work of these eight Latin American Indigenous women activists highlights the ongoing struggles and achievements of their communities, and their stories are a reminder of the power of grassroots activism and the importance of continuing to support efforts that uplift marginalized voices.