Rita Pérez de Moreno


María Rita de la Trinidad Pérez Jiménez, commonly known as Doña Rita Pérez de Moreno, was an insurgent and heroine of the Mexican War of Independence, along with her husband Pedro Moreno.

Early life

Pérez de Moreno was born on the hacienda of Cañada del Cura, in the jurisdiction of San Juan de los Lagos, Viceroyalty of New Spain, to Don José María Pérez and his second wife, Doña Rafaela Jiménez. Of Spanish descent, her family was well-off and respected among the local community.

Family

Pérez de Moreno married Pedro Moreno, a landowner from Santa María de los Lagos, on 1 May 1799 in San Juan de los Lagos. They had the following children:
Due to her participation in the insurgency, Pérez de Moreno was made a prisoner for several years until Viceroy Juan Ruiz de Apodaca granted her freedom. She lived the rest of her life in the house she inherited from her parents in San Juan de los Lagos. She died of edema on 27 August 1861, at the age of 82, and was buried the following day in the cemetery of San Juan de los Lagos.