Antonia Nava de Catalán

Antonia Nava de Catalán (née Nava Celestina; 17 November 1779 – 19 March 1843) was a woman involved in the Mexican War of Independence. She accompanied her husband, a volunteer who rose to the rank of colonel, throughout the war. Three of her sons were killed in the struggle. She is remembered for her willingness to sacrifice her family and herself to achieve independence from Spain, and came to be known as La Generala. She fought alongside José María Morelos until her death.

In more urban areas, women worked as servants or street vendors, selling from food to clothes. If these women were not in the market place, they were back in their homes doing domestic housework, as in cooking and cleaning. In Spain women who did this work were considered honorable, and if women were seen as homeless or "unworthy", they would be placed into homes in order to be re-educated or work as prostitutes. Women who fought in the war were battling against times of oppression brought on by Spaniards, but they also fought to help the soldiers who were usually loved ones.