Inés María Jiménez was an Ecuadorian revolutionary heroine who participated in several battles in the Ecuadorian War of Independence. [1]
Jiménez was a woman from Loja who, along with Gertrudis Esparza and Rosa Robalino, signed up to fight in the troops of the Ecuadorian independence army. [1] They assumed a masculine identity to fight because, in 1817 and 1819 respectively, Generals Pablo Morillo and Francisco Santander prohibited women from marching with the troops. [2] As a result, Jiménez, Esparza and Robalino adopted the assumed names Manuel Jiménez, Manuel Esparza and Manuel Jurado respectively. [3]
Jiménez fought in the Babahoyo campaign on 21 August 1821, and in the Battle of Pichincha on 24 May 1822. Later, she fought in the Battles of Junín and Ayacucho. [1]
Jiménez was decorated after fighting in the Battle of Ayacucho. [4] Simón Bolívar publicly acknowledged and thanked the participation of women in the fighting. [2] A street in Quito was named in her honor.