Manuela Caldera - Wikiwand

Chilean political activist and First Lady

BornManuela Mercedes Caldera Mascayano
c. 1803

Captaincy General of Chile, Spanish Empire

Manuela Caldera


First Lady of Chile
In role 25 January 1827 – 8 May 1827
President	Ramón Freire
Preceded by	Isabel Riquelme
Succeeded by	Carmen Gana López

Personal details
Born	Manuela Mercedes Caldera Mascayano c. 1803 Captaincy General of Chile, Spanish Empire
Died	30 May 1865 (aged 61–62)
Resting place	Santiago General Cemetery
Spouse	Ramón Freire (m. 1826; died 1851)
Relations	José Joaquín Aguirre (uncle) José Joaquín Pérez (cousin) Juana Rosa Aguirre (cousin)
Children	4, including Francisco Freire

Manuela Mercedes Caldera de Freire (née Caldera Mascayano; c. 1803 – 30 May 1865) was the Chilean political activist and the First Lady of Chile during 1827.^[1]^[2] Following the death of her husband Ramón Freire, Caldera campaigned for the recognition of Freire's legacy.^[1]^[3]

Manuela Mercedes Caldera Mascayano was born around 1803 to a Santiago family who were members of the Los Ochocientos branch of the Larraín family.^[4] Caldera was the niece of José Joaquín Aguirre and the first cousin of José Joaquín Pérez and Juana Rosa Aguirre.^[4]

On 1 October 1826, Caldera married Ramón Freire, a military officer, politician and former Supreme Director of Chile.^[1]^[3] Caldera and Freire had four children^[3], including

Zenón Freire Caldera [es] (1827–1898), politician; married Mercedes García de la Huerta Pérez^[5]
Liborio Ramón Freire Caldera [es] (1829–1884), politician; married Rosario García de la Huerta Pérez^[6]
Francisco Freire (1839–1900), lawyer, farmer and politician; married Enriqueta Valdés Solar^[7]

Caldera was the great-grandmother of the diplomat Carmen Vial Freire Dows^[8], and was the aunt of Nicolás Freire González [es], a Peruvian military officer and politician.

Career

From 25 January 1827 Caldera served as the First Lady of Chile until her husband resigned on 8 May 1827.^[3] During the First Chilean Civil War, Freire fought on side of the liberal Pipiolos and became the President of the Governing Junta in November 1829.^[3] After Freire's defeat at the Battle of Lircay by Joaquín Prieto, Freire was arrested and sentenced to death.^[1]^[3]^[9] Caldera successfully positioned for her husband's death sentence to be commuted to ten years exile.^[1] Caldera wanted to join her husband in exile but he refused.^[1]

In 1842, Caldera's husband returned to Chile under amnesty.^[10]^[3]^[9] Upon Freire's return the families estate La Hacienda Cucha Cucha, which had been given to Freire for his contribution to Chilean independence, was expropriated causing the family financial problems.^[1] Following Ramón Freire's death in 1851, Caldera campaigned for the recognition of her husband's legacy.^[1] In 1852, Caldera and her youngest son Francisco were awarded a pension of 1125 CLP by President Manuel Montt.^[10]

Caldera died on 30 May 1865 and is buried at Santiago General Cemetery ^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Manuela Caldera Mascayano". Primeras Damas de Chile (PDF) (in Spanish). Chile: Centro de Estudios Históricos Forenses. pp. 27–30. ISBN 978-956-7620-21-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
↑ "Plan Municipal de Cultura San Felipe 2015-2020" (PDF). Ministerio de las Culturas (in Spanish). San Felipe, Chile. November 2015. p. 15. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Reseña Biográfica Ramón Freire Serrano". Presidentes de la República de Chile (in Spanish). Valparaíso, Chile: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
1 2 Cristóbal, Gillet del Solar (2022). Las Agrupaciones Familiares de Concepción y su Influencia Política (1808-1851) (PDF) (in Spanish). Concepción, Chile: Ediciones del Archivo Histórico de Concepción. pp. 144, 178. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
↑ "Reseña Biográfica Juan Zenón Freire Caldera". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
↑ "Reseña Biográfica Liborio Ramón Freire Caldera". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
↑ "Reseña Biográfica Liborio Francisco Freire Caldera". Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias (in Spanish). Valparaíso: Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
↑ "Carmen Viale Freire Dows, 70, A Former Chilean Ambassador". The New York Times. 28 January 1978. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
1 2 "La construcción del Estado republicano (1823-1831): Ramón Freire Serrano (1787-1851)". Memoria Chilena (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Biblioteca Nacional Digital de Chile. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
1 2 Chambers, Sarah C. (2015). Families in War and Peace: Chile from Colony to Nation. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press. p. 1148. ISBN 9780822375562. Retrieved 23 March 2026.

Honorary titles

Preceded by

Isabel Riquelme

First Lady of Chile
25 January 1827 – 8 May 1827

Succeeded by

Carmen Gana López

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