LUZ CASTRO Article by Luisa Fernanda

Álvarez
GUTIÉRREZ

Luz Castro de Gutierrez was born in

the city of Medellin on January 18,
1908, six years after the end of
Thousand Days War and when the
Antioquia Railroad line, which
would open the way to progress,
was about to be built.

This was the scenario in which this

woman of the deepest paisa roots
would grow up.
From a family of outstanding
characters, Luz Castro was a cousin
of Carlos Castro Saavedra. Her
common grandparents were Don
Ricardo Castro and Doña Carlota
Jaramillo.

Diario English | 102 Colombian nurse, philanthropist and politician, Medellín, (1908 - 1991).
Although her presence was
notable in areas such as
business and politics, Luz
Castro de Gutiérrez was
among the first Colombian
women to fight for the
presence of women in the
democratic anf social
development of the country.
Luz Castro de Gutiérrez, was
one of the first Colombian
women to make a strong
entry into the executive and
political world, largely
dominated by men at the
time, she was undoubtedly a
leading figure in
immense field of Colombian
the
social assistance, a field in
which she left a legacy that is
difficult to forget.
Her doings went far beyond His achievements with
the scope of her hometown, to
the point of being inscribed,
the less favored
for example, in one of her classes is perpetuated
pioneering jobs, in the network in popular memory,
of Women's World Banking.
not only with the
His numerous foundations all name of the General
had great social impact that Hospital of Medellin
continue over time and have
benefited hundreds of
'Luz Castro de
thousands of people in the Gutiérrez', but also
city, the region and the with the new name
country.
As one of the women who has
given to the important
been most concerned about road of the city named
social assistance in Colombia, as Transveral Superior
Mrs. Luz Castro de Gutiérrez
represents for the city and the
'Luz Castro de
country the need to be Gutierrez'.
concerned about the common
development of the
population, without relegating
this development only to a
particular group or class.
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Diario English | 104

POLITICAL LIFE
LUZ CASTRO WAS ELECTED AS
COUNCILWOMAN OF MEDELLÍN FOR THE
1964-1966 AND 1974-1976 TERMS.

Due to the notoriety of her work, on several

She initiated different projects, always in the
occasions she was called by the Departmental
social field, which became works that show
Directorate of her party (Liberal) to lend her
her concern for the dignity of children and
name for the configuration of lists; she also
women, especially of the underprivileged
participated actively in politics, especially
classes, some of them are:
after women in the country saw the possibility
of openly participating in this area.
- The creation of health centers with attached
day-care centers.
Her role as a councilwoman was impeccable
- The creation of the Center for the Protection
despite being in an environment where
of Minors.
machismo predominated.
- The creation of the Medal of Merit for
Women.
 FEMALE
LEADERSHIP
Questioned by the
adversities of pregnant
women to access health
services and at a time
when there was only one
hospital (Hospital San
Vicente de Paúl), she
began her struggle in an
old house located in the
Palacé street, between
Amador and Maturín
streets.
Knocking on doors
tirelessly and raising funds,
in 1943 was the architect of
the creation of the
Maternity Clinic, which in
its initial stage only had 20
beds and a stretcher used
as a delivery table.
Waitresses from the old
Guayaquil, women from
working-class families and
from all backgrounds were
the beneficiaries of the
revolutionary place that,
due to its narrowness, soon
became too small.
In the midst of this adversity,
it was also Luz Castro who
managed to convince the
mayor of the time, Eduardo
Fernández Botero, to
allocate an abandoned lot in
the Sevilla neighborhood to
build the first headquarters
of the clinic, which despite
being inaugurated on
October 12, 1948, was sold a
year later to the newly
created Social Security.
After an eviction that cost
tears and sorrow, Castro de
Gutierrez did not give up and
launched again a campaign
to raise funds. Knocking
again on the door of
industrialists and merchants,
she managed to raise
150,000 pesos of the time
and get, for the second time,
the approval of the mayor's
office to build a new
building, which ended up
costing 800,000 pesos and
was inaugurated on March
19, 1954.
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 REFERENCES

Alcaldía de Medellín. (2010, 5 de marzo). Clínica Luz Castro de Gutiérrez en 1961.

[Publicación]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/alcaldiademed/8636197824
Ensayostube.com. (SF). Biografía Luz Castro de Gutiérrez.
https://www.ensayostube.com/historia/biografias/Biografia-Luz-Castro-de-
Gutier91.php
Es-academic.com. (2010). Luz Castro de Gutiérrez. https://es-
academic.com/dic.nsf/eswiki/753170
Gov.co. (2019). Homenaje póstumo a la enfermera fundadora del H.G.M. Señora, Luz
Castro de Gutiérrez. https://www.hgm.gov.co/publicaciones/409/homenaje-
postumo-a-la-enfermera-fundadora-del-hgm-senora-luz-castro-de-gutierrez/
Memoria Visual De Medellín. (2012, 19 de enero). Luz Castro de Gutiérrez en 1927
[Publicación]. Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/MemoriaVisualDeMedellin/photos/luz-castro-de-
guti%C3%A9rrez-en-1927fundadora-y-alma-de-la-cl%C3%ADnica-de-maternidad-
de-m/10150539770326308/
Ortiz Jiménez, J. D. (2022). Tres de los que dejaron su huella en el corazón de
Antioquia. El Colombiano. https://www.elcolombiano.com/antioquia/tres-de-los-
que-dejaron-su-huella-en-el-corazon-de-antioquia-IA16521292
Valenzuela, M. T. (2013). Luz Castro, galardonada con la Medalla al Civismo. El
Colombiano. https://www.elcolombiano.com/blogs/casillerodeletras/luz-castro-
galardonada-con-la-medalla-al-civismo/13460

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