Rita Cetina Gutiérrez

Rita Cetina Gutiérrez (22 May 1846 – 11 October 1908) was a 19th-century Mexican educator, writer, and feminist who promoted women's education in Mérida, Yucatán. She helped found a literary society, a periodical, and a school with Gertrudis Tenorio Zavala and Cristina Farfán. All three were called La Siempreviva (transl. 'Liveforever'). She also taught at and served as director of the La Siempreviva school.

In 1877, Cetina left her position at the La Siempreviva school to serve as director of the Girls' Literary Institute, a public school for girls. Two years later, she returned to the La Siempreviva school. Several years after that, she returned once again to the Institute, where she faced many difficulties, including budget cuts and criticism from the state government for teaching pedagogy and natural science. She eventually retired from teaching due to poor health.

Cetina's literary output included poetry and fiction. Her poetry was published in many local journals and newspapers, sometimes under the pen name "Cristobela." Due to the nationalist themes of many of her poems, she has been called the "cantora de la patria" (transl. 'singer of the homeland'). She also wrote short stories, plays, and a single novel, Julia, which was one of the first novels ever to be published by a Mexican woman.

Cetina is also considered to be one of Mexico's first feminists due to her contributions to women's education and her writing, which called for women's emancipation and enlightenment. After her death in 1908, one of her students, Elvia Carrillo Puerto, helped to found the Rita Cetina Gutiérrez Feminist League.