Luisa Garmendia

Garmendia was born in 1797 in Tucumán Province, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (present-day Argentina) to José Ignacio Garmendia Aguirre and Elena María Alurralde [es], a supporter of Argentine Independence.^[1][5][6] Garmendia was the younger half-sister of Ildefonso de las Muñecas [es], a Catholic priest and guerrilla in the Bolivian War of Independence, and Juan Manuel de las Muñecas, a military officer and supporter of Argentine Independence.^[5][3] Garmendia was the younger sister of José Ignacio Garmendia y Alurralde [es], a politician.

Garmendia met her future husband Francisco Antonio Pinto, at the time a lawyer and military general and later a politician and 3rd President of Chile, whilst he was stationed in Tucumán Province.^[3][4] In 1823, Garmendia and Pinto relocated to Chile where Pinto began his political career.^[3][4] Following her husband's election as the President of Chile, Garmendia became the First Lady of Chile in 1827.^[3][4] Garmendia served as First Lady until July 1829 when her husband resigned from the presidency following the Revolution of 1829.^[3][4]

Garmendia married Pinto in 1817.^[1][2] Garmendia and Pinto's had multiple children including:

• Enriqueta Pinto (1817–1904), translator and First Lady of Chile during 1841 to 1851; married Manuel Bulnes (1799–1866), military officer, politician and 5th President of Chile.^[7][8][9]
• Aníbal Pinto (1825–1884), lawyer, politician and 9th President of Chile; married Delfina de la Cruz (1837–1905), a pianist and First Lady of Chile.^[10]

On 26 May 1857 Garmendia died in Santiago, and was buried at Santiago General Cemetery.^[1][4]