Ignacia María de los Dolores Veintimilla de Galindo (Quito, July 12, 1829 – Cuenca, May 23, 1857) was an Ecuadorian poet and essayist known for her contributions to 19th-century Romanticism and early feminist thought. Raised in an aristocratic family, she received a formal education and later married Colombian physician Sixto Galindo. Her poetry, marked by themes of sorrow, unrequited love, and social justice, reflected her personal struggles and progressive views, including her opposition to the death penalty. Isolated and vilified for her outspokenness, Veintimilla tragically took her own life at the age of 27.
Early Life and Education
Dolores Veintimilla de Galindo was born on July 12, 1829, in Quito, Ecuador, into an aristocratic family. Her parents, José Veintimilla and Jerónima Carrión y Antepara, were part of the educated elite. Growing up in this privileged environment, Veintimilla received a well-rounded education at Colegio Santa María del Socorro and later at the Convent of Santa Catalina de Siena. Under the guidance of Dominican nuns, she was taught reading, writing, music, drawing, and domestic skills such as embroidery and cooking, all reflecting the expectations placed on women of her social class. Despite the conservative upbringing, her education laid the foundation for her intellectual and literary development.
Personal Life and Emotional Struggles
At 18, Veintimilla married Sixto Antonio Galindo, a Colombian physician, and gave birth to a son, Santiago. Although Galindo encouraged her literary pursuits and provided access to books, their marriage was troubled. His frequent absences, especially his decision to leave for Central America to advance his career, left Veintimilla emotionally and physically isolated in Cuenca. This isolation profoundly affected her emotional well-being, contributing to the themes of sorrow, longing, and disillusionment that permeate her poetry. Some sources speculate that Galindo may have been emotionally unstable or unwilling to engage with her family, further deepening Veintimilla’s sense of abandonment.
Veintimilla’s personal struggles are reflected in her poetry, particularly in works like Quejas (Laments) and Desencanto (Disillusionment), which convey the emotional pain of a woman left alone to raise her child and navigate a society that offered little support or understanding to intellectual women.
Literary Career and Feminist Themes
Veintimilla’s poetry is marked by the influence of Romanticism, a literary movement characterized by deep emotional expression and a focus on individual experience. Her poems frequently explore themes of love, sorrow, and melancholy, mirroring her personal struggles. Works like Quejas, Aspiración (Aspiration), Anhelo (Longing), and Desencanto illustrate the emotional turmoil that defined much of her life.
What sets Veintimilla apart from other Romantic poets of her time, however, is her proto-feminist thought. Although the term “feminism” had not yet entered the public discourse, Veintimilla’s works reveal a strong critique of the gender roles imposed on women. In both her life and writing, she challenged the traditional roles of women as passive and domestic, advocating for intellectual and emotional freedom. Her poem A mis Enemigos (To My Enemies) is a striking example of this defiance, as she boldly confronts those who attacked her for being an independent woman who dared to express her thoughts publicly.
Advocacy and Confrontation with Society
Veintimilla’s progressive views also extended beyond gender roles. She was one of the first Ecuadorian intellectuals to publicly denounce the death penalty. In April 1857, after witnessing the execution of an indigenous man, Tiburcio Lucero, she was deeply affected by the injustice of his death. This experience inspired her to write Necrología, a poem that condemned the use of capital punishment and questioned the moral authority of the state and church. In Necrología, Veintimilla refers to God as “Gran Todo” (The Great All), a phrase that led to her being accused of pantheism by conservative religious leaders, including Fray Vicente Solano.
Her outspoken views drew the ire of the conservative Cuenca society, leading to a fierce campaign of slander and ostracism. Fray Solano, in particular, spearheaded a public attack on her character, accusing her of immorality and intellectual pretension. Veintimilla, already emotionally fragile, found herself increasingly isolated and vilified, with the church and other societal forces branding her as an outsider. Her final works reflect the emotional toll of this persecution, as she struggled to maintain her intellectual integrity in the face of relentless criticism.
Isolation, Depression, and Tragic End
Veintimilla’s final months were marked by increasing emotional distress and social isolation. The public attacks on her character, combined with her personal grief over her husband’s absence and societal rejection, drove her into a deep depression. On May 23, 1857, she took her own life by ingesting cyanide. She left behind a poignant note to her mother, asking for forgiveness and expressing her enduring love for her son. Veintimilla was only 27 years old at the time of her death.
Initially, her body was buried in Supay-Guayco, a site designated for those considered impious. However, after a legal battle initiated by her husband, her remains were moved to a proper burial site, with the justification that her suicide had been caused by a “temporary insanity.”
Literary Legacy and Posthumous Recognition
While much of Veintimilla’s poetry was lost—destroyed by the poet herself in moments of despair—a few pieces survived and were later collected and published. Celiano Monge’s 1898 edition Producciones Literarias was the first to compile her works, including poems such as Quejas, Sufrimientos (Sufferings), Aspiración, and Desencanto. Over time, scholars recognized her as a pioneer of Ecuadorian Romanticism and an early voice for social justice and women’s rights.
In 2016, María Helena Barrera-Agarwal published De ardiente inspiración: obras de Dolores Veintimilla, which critically edited Veintimilla’s surviving works, based on primary sources. This edition provided a more nuanced understanding of Veintimilla’s contributions, not only as a Romantic poet but also as an intellectual force who confronted the deeply conservative and patriarchal structures of her society.
Feminist Legacy
Veintimilla is now regarded as a precursor to feminist thought in Ecuador. Her writings challenged the rigid societal norms of 19th-century Ecuador, particularly in regard to women’s roles and the oppressive influence of the church. She was one of the first Ecuadorian women to publicly express her dissatisfaction with the limited opportunities available to women, advocating for their right to intellectual freedom and self-expression. Although her life was cut tragically short, her work laid the groundwork for later generations of feminist writers and activists in Ecuador.
Mythologizing and Biographical Challenges
After her death, many biographers romanticized or distorted Veintimilla’s life, often omitting the harsh realities she faced. Figures like the Chilean writer Guillermo Blest Gana and Ecuadorian Remigio Crespo Toral exaggerated or altered aspects of her story, contributing to a mythical portrayal of Veintimilla as a tragic figure of Romantic literature. It wasn’t until more critical biographical studies, such as María Helena Barrera-Agarwal’s Dolores Veintimilla más allá de los mitos (2015), that a clearer and more factual account of her life emerged.
Conclusion
Dolores Veintimilla’s life and work remain deeply significant in Ecuadorian literature and feminist history. Her poetry not only exemplifies the emotional intensity of Romanticism but also reflects a courageous confrontation with the oppressive social and religious norms of her time. Her legacy as an early advocate for women’s rights and as a voice against capital punishment continues to inspire scholars and readers, marking her as one of Ecuador’s most important literary figures.
Poems
¡Quejas!
¡Y amarle pude! Al sol de la existencia
se abría apenas soñadora el alma…
Perdió mi pobre corazón su calma
desde el fatal instante en que le hallé.
Sus palabras sonaron en mi oído
como música blanda y deliciosa;
subió a mi rostro el tinte de la rosa;
como la hoja en el árbol vacilé.
Su imagen en el sueño me acosaba
siempre halagüeña, siempre enamorada;
mil veces sorprendiste, madre amada,
en mi boca un suspiro abrasador;
y era él quien lo arrancaba de mi pecho;
él, la fascinación de mis sentidos;
él, ideal de mis sueños más queridos;
él, mi primero, mi ferviente amor.
Sin él, para mí el campo placentero
en vez de flores me obsequiaba abrojos;
sin él eran sombríos a mis ojos
del sol los rayos en el mes de abril.
Vivía de su vida apasionada;
era el centro de mi alma el amor suyo;
era mi aspiración, era mi orgullo…
¿Por qué tan presto me olvidaba el vil?
No es mío ya su amor, que a otra prefiere.
Sus caricias son frías como el hielo;
es mentira su fe, finge desvelo…
Mas no me engañará con su ficción…
¡Y amarle pude, delirante, loca!
¡No, mi altivez no sufre su maltrato!
Y si a olvidar no alcanzas al ingrato,
¡te arrancaré del pecho, corazón!
A mis enemigos
¿Qué os hice yo, mujer desventurada,
que en mi rostro, traidores, escupís
de la infame calumnia la ponzoña
y así matáis a mi alma juvenil?
¿Qué sombra os puede hacer una insensata
que arroja de los vientos al confín
los lamentos de su alma atribulada
y el llanto de sus ojos? ¡ay de mí!
¿Envidiáis, envidiáis que sus aromas
le dé a las brisas mansas el jazmín?
¿Envidiáis que los pájaros entonen
sus himnos cuando el sol viene a lucir?
¡No! ¡no os burláis de mí sino del cielo,
que al hacerme tan triste e infeliz,
me dio para endulzar mi desventura
de ardiente inspiración rayo gentil!
¿Por qué, por qué queréis que yo sofoque
lo que en mi pensamiento osa vivir?
Por qué matáis para la dicha mi alma?
¿Por qué ¡cobardes! a traición me herís?
No dan respeto la mujer, la esposa,
La madre amante a vuestra lengua vil…
Me marcáis con el sello de la impura…
¡Ay! nada! nada! respetáis en mí!
Anhelo
¡Oh! ¿dónde está ese mundo que soñé
allá en los años de mi edad primera?
¿Dónde ese mundo que en mi mente orlé
de blancas flores…? ¡Todo fue quimera!
Hoy de mí misma nada me ha quedado,
pasaron ya mis horas de ventura,
y sólo tengo un corazón llagado
y un alma ahogada en llanto y amargura.
¿Por qué tan pronto la ilusión pasé?
¿Por qué en quebranto se trocó mi risa
y mi sueño fugaz se disipó
cual leve nube al soplo de la brisa…?
Vuelve a mis ojos óptica ilusión,
vuelve, esperanza, a amenizar mi vida,
vuelve, amistad, sublime inspiración…
yo quiero dicha aun cuando sea mentida.
A Carmen
(Remitiéndole un jazmín del Cabo)
Menos bella que tú, Carmela mía,
vaya esa flor a ornar tu cabellera;
yo misma la he cogido en la pradera
y cariñosa mi alma te la envía
cuando seca y marchita caiga un día
no la arrojes, por Dios, a la ribera;
guárdala cual memoria lisonjera
de la dulce amistad que nos unía.
Sufrimiento
Pasaste, edad hermosa,
en que rizo el ambiente
las hebras del cabello por mi frente
que hoy anubla la pena congojosa.
Pasaste, edad de rosa
de los felices años,
y contigo mis gratas ilusiones …
Quedan en su lugar los desengaños
que brotó el Huracán de las pasiones.
Entonces ¡ay! entonces, madre mía,
tus labios enjugaban
lágrimas infantiles que surcaban
mis purpúreas mejillas… y en el día
¡ay de mí! no estás cerca para verlas …
¡son del dolor alquitaradas perlas!
¡Madre! ¡Madre! no sepas la amargura
que aqueja el corazón de tu Dolores,
saber mi desventura
fuera aumentar tan sólo los rigores
con que en ti la desgracia audaz se encona.
¡En mi nombre mi sino me pusiste!
¡sino, madre, bien triste!
Mi corona nupcial, está en corona
de espinas ya cambiada …
Es tu dolores ¡ay! ¡tan desdichada!
Aspiración
Yo no quiero ventura ni gloria,
sólo quiero mi llanto verter;
que en mi mente la cruda memoria
sólo tengo de cruel padecer.
Cual espectro doliente y lloroso
sola quiero en el mundo vagar,
y en mi pecho, cual nunca ardoroso,
sólo quiero tu imagen llevar.
Yo no quiero del sol luminoso
sus espléndidos rayos mirar,
mas yo quiero un lugar tenebroso
do contigo pudiera habitar.
Si del mundo un imperio se hiciera,
que encerrara tesoros sin cuento;
si este imperio a mis pies se pusiera,
lo cambiara por verte un momento.
Si ángel fuera a quien templos y altares
en mi culto se alzaran, tal vez
con tormentos cambiara, eternales,
por estar un instante a tus pies.
La noche y mi dolor
El negro manto que la noche umbría
tiende en el mundo, a descansar convida.
Su cuerpo extiende ya en la tierra fría
cansado el pobre y su dolor olvida.
También el rico en su mullida cama
duerme soñando avaro en sus riquezas;
duerme el guerrero y en su ensueño exclama:
—soy invencible y grandes mis proezas.
Duerme el pastor feliz en su cabaña
y el marino tranquilo en su bajel;
a éste no altera la ambición ni saña;
el mar no inquieta el reposar de aquel.
Duerme la fiera en lóbrega espesura,
duerme el ave en las ramas guarecida,
duerme el reptil en su morada impura,
como el insecto en su mansión florida.
Duerme el viento, la brisa silenciosa
gime apenas las flores cariciando;
todo entre sombras a la par reposa,
aquí durmiendo, más allá soñando.
Tú, dulce amiga, que tal vez un día
al contemplar la luna misteriosa,
exaltabas tu ardiente fantasía,
derramando una lágrima amorosa,
duermes también tranquila y descansada
cual marino calmada la tormenta,
así olvidando la inquietud pasada
mientras tu amiga su dolor lamenta.
Déjame que hoy en soledad contemple
de mi vida las flores deshojadas;
hoy no hay mentira que mi dolor temple,
murieron ya mis fábulas soñadas.
Works
- Producciones literarias (1908), a posthumous collection of Dolores Veintemilla’s poems by Celiano Monge. Read it for free here.
- An English transtion of her poem, “Quejas,” was published as “Laments,” in Hispanic feminist poems from the Middle Ages to the present: a bilingual anthology (Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 1986). Read it here for free.
Selected poems
- “Aspiración” (Aspiration)
- “Desencanto” (Disenchantment)
- “Anhelo” (Yearning)
- “Sufrimiento” (Suffering)
- “La noche y mi dolor” (The Night and My Pain)
- “Quejas” (Complaints)
- “A mis enemigos” (To My Enemies)
- “A un Reloj” (To a Clock)
- “A mi madre” (To My Mother).
Selected prose
- “Fantasía” (Fantasy)
- “Recuerdos” (Recollections), in which she dialogues with the past and blames time for giving an early death to her dreams.
References
- Wikipedia – Dolores Veintimilla ( Retrieval Date: September 28, 2024)
- MCN Biografías – Dolores Veintimilla de Galindo ( Retrieval Date: September 28, 2024)
- El Comercio – El Suicidio de Dolores Veintimilla ( Retrieval Date: September 28, 2024)
- Buscabiografías – Dolores Veintimilla ( Retrieval Date: September 28, 2024)
- Enciclopedia del Ecuador – Dolores Veintimilla ( Retrieval Date: September 28, 2024)