Vargas was born in Chuschi.[2] She was kidnapped along her parents and sister María by Shining Path members, who abducted the sisters after killing their parents.[3] After Abimael Guzmán's capture in 1992, she assisted in the group's reorganisation.[2] Her sister María had a son, Roger Guevara Vargas, who did not manage to be rescued with his then 13-year-old mother in 1997, being taken under the wing of Florabel until his escape in 2014.[3][4] Within the group, she was in charge of its children, called the "young pioneers".[2] She became romantically acquainted with Marco Antonio Quispe Palomino ("Comrade Gabriel"), with whom she had two children: Iván and Marco.[1]
In 2018, the group's leader, Víctor Quispe Palomino ("Comrade José"), announced the establishment of the Militarized Communist Party of Peru (MPCP).[5] Following the death of Jorge Quispe Palomino in 2021, Vargas became the group's fourth-in-command and official spokeswoman.[1][6]
In 2020, a column headed by Vargas ambushed military units in the VRAEM region, killing an officer, a police sub-officer, and an army captain.[7]
In 2021, Vargas called on people to boycott that year's general elections.[1] She also threatened Mario Monteverde, owner of Radio Tarma, and journalists Beto Ortiz, Milagros Leiva [es], and Jaime Bayly. The former threat led to a group attacking the radio station.[8] After Pedro Castillo was elected president, she threatened to kill both him and then Prime Minister Guido Bellido if they threatened the group's coca production operation instead of supporting it.[9]
During the social protests of 2023, she—alongside Comrade Olga—called for Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping's assistance to overthrow president Dina Boluarte,[10] while calling the ousted Castillo a traitor.[11]
On September 30, 2023, her son Marco ("Gabrielito") and his partner Alexi Berrocal ("Comrade Rafael") were captured alongside weapons and munitions.[12]
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MPCP (since 2018)
Shining Path (1980s–2018)