Amparo de Zeledón
Costa Rican botanist and philanthropist (1870–1951)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Amparo de Zeledón (née López Calleja: 7 August 1870 – 20 April 1951) was a Cuban botanist, social activist and philanthropist. Zeledón was the first female botanist in Costa Rica and spent the end of her life in Honduras.
7 August 1870
Amparo de Zeledón | |
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Zeledón in 1940 | |
| Born | Amparo López Calleja 7 August 1870 Nuevitas, Captaincy General of Cuba, Spanish Empire |
| Died | 20 April 1951 (aged 80) Tegucigalpa, Honduras |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse | |
Family
Amparo López Calleja was born on 7 August 1870 in Nuevitas, Captaincy General of Cuba (present-day Cuba) to María Isabel Pereira Falcón and Francisco López-Calleja Pereira.[1][2][3] Both of Zeledón's parents were Asturians who had migrated to Cuba.[3]
During the Ten Years' War (Spanish: Guerra de los Diez Años, 1868–1878) against Spanish colonial rule in Cuba, both Zeledón's father and brother Manuel fought for Cuban independence.[2][4] Zeledón and her family emigrated due to the dangers associated with independence activism,[5] moving to Jamaica, then to Panama and finally Costa Rica. They settled in the Costa Rican city of Puntarenas.[3]
Career
Botany
Zeledón worked with her husband, José Castulo Zeledón, at the French Apothecary (La Botica Francesa).[3] She became the first botanist in Costa Rica and was internationally known for her botanical collections, particularly of orchids.[2] She sent Costa Rican orchids to the German taxonomist and botanist Rudolf Schlechter for his research.[6]
Philanthropy and activism
Zeledón was a member of the board of directors of the National Children's Board.[citation needed] In 1913, she was a founder member and the director of the Drop of milk (Spanish: Gota de Leche) [es] charity,[7] which aimed to reduce the rates of infant and child mortality by providing milk and medical care for poor children.[8]
In 1923, Zeledón donated 300₡ towards public education.[9] She was also involved with a Juvenile Reformatory for girls, which promoted education and guidance for offending minors, to promote their reintegration into society, after Zeledón encouraged the institution to move away from a prison concept.[10][11]
Personal life
On 8 May 1895, Zeledón married the Costa Rican ornithologist José Castulo Zeledón.[4] They had no children together, but adopted three of her nieces and a boy with cerebral palsy, in order to support them.[4] They were married for 28 years, before his death in 1923 in Turin, Italy.[12][5] Zeledón's husband was a founder of the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica in San José.[5]
Zeledón died on 20 April 1951 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, aged 80.[3][13] She was buried in Tegucigalpa, before her remains were repatriated to Costa Rica for reburial in Cartago.