Writers from Guaranda - Ecuadorian Literature

Rosaura Emelia Galarza

Rosaura Emelia Galarza Heyman (Guaranda, 1877 – February 13, 1966) was an Ecuadorian teacher, journalist, writer, and a pioneer in the field of women’s publishing. She was the founder of Ondina del Guayas, a monthly women’s magazine of literature and variety, which was edited in Guayaquil between 1907 and 1910. In addition, Galarza and her sister Celina María Galarza founded the magazine Flora in Quito in 1917, which became the most important women’s magazine published in Quito. Galarza also created other magazines, including Primavera in Riobamba, Hacia El Ideal and Álbum Bolivarense in Guaranda. Along with Zoila Ugarte de Landívar, Victoria Vásconez Cuvi, and María Angélica Idrobo, all teachers at the Liceo Fernández Madrid, Galarza was a founder and director of the magazine Alas in 1934. Galarza left behind a legacy of promoting women’s education and empowerment through her writing and activism.

Morayma Ofir Carvajal

Morayma Ofir Carvajal (Guaranda, Bolívar, January 28, 1915 – Chimborazo, February 25, 1951) was an Ecuadorian poet and educator. She worked as a teacher and rector at various schools in her hometown of Guaranda and later in Riobamba. In 1949, she was one of the founders of the Riobamba branch of the House of Ecuadorian Culture. Morayma Ofir was married to José Reyes for several years, until they were killed on February 25, 1951 by a bomb in their home in the city of Riobamba.