Josefina García de Noia

Josefina García de Noia
García de Noia in 2010
Born(1921-07-06)6 July 1921
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Died31 August 2015(2015-08-31) (aged 94)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Other namesPepa Noia
OccupationsHuman rights activist; textile worker
Known forFounding member of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Línea Fundadora)
SpouseJuan Carlos Noia
Children4
AwardsIllustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires (2010)

Josefina García de Noia (6 July 1921 – 31 August 2015), commonly known as Pepa Noia, was an Argentine human rights activist and a founding member of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Madres de Plaza de Mayo), part of the Línea Fundadora (Founding Line). She became a public figure after the forced disappearance of her daughter, María de Lourdes Noia de Mezzadra, during Argentina's last military dictatorship (1976–1983).[1][2]

Early life and family

García de Noia was born in Buenos Aires. Argentine and Galician press have described her as the daughter of immigrants from Leiro (province of Ourense, Galicia, Spain).[3][4]

According to the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora, she married Juan Carlos Noia and had four children.[5][6] Multiple sources describe her work as a textile worker, and note that she lived for many years in Castelar (in Morón Partido).[7]

Disappearance of her daughter

On 13 October 1976, García de Noia's daughter, María de Lourdes Noia de Mezzadra (often cited simply as “Lourdes Noia”), was abducted from her home along with her husband, Enrique Mario Mezzadra.[1][7][2] The Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno describes both as having been taken to the ESMA clandestine detention centre; it reports that Enrique Mezzadra was released on 21 October 1976, while María de Lourdes remains disappeared.[1] Press coverage has also reported that the couple's 18-month-old son, Pablo, was left with a neighbour during the abduction.[2]

Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo

After her daughter's disappearance, García de Noia began searching through police stations, ministries, and hospitals, and gradually connected with other women looking for their missing children.[2] She was among the first fourteen women who walked around the Pyramid of May in the Plaza de Mayo on 30 April 1977—an action widely treated as the starting point of the Mothers’ public weekly demonstrations.[1][2][8]

For decades, she continued attending the Mothers’ Thursday marches in Plaza de Mayo and was active within the Línea Fundadora grouping.[2][8][1]

Recognition

On 5 July 2010, the Buenos Aires City Legislature named García de Noia an Illustrious Citizen of the City of Buenos Aires (Ciudadana Ilustre de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires).[7][9] The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora also describe her as having been recognised by local institutions in Morón.[6][10]

Death

García de Noia died on 31 August 2015, aged 94.[1][2][8]

Legacy

In 2011, historian Enrique Arrosagaray published a book-length profile of her life and activism, Josefina Pepa de Noia. Una Madre de la primera hora.[8][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Testimonio de Josefina Pepa García de Noia / 15 de agosto 2012" (in Spanish). Biblioteca Nacional Mariano Moreno. 11 July 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Murió Pepa Noia, una de las primeras Madres de la Plaza de Mayo en Argentina". El Comercio (in Spanish). 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  3. ^ Pagés, Gloria (1 September 2015). "Adiós a Pepa Noia, una de las fundadoras de Madres de Plaza de Mayo". La Izquierda Diario (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 19 April 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  4. ^ "El PSOE pide que el Ayuntamiento de Leiro honre la memoria de los emigrantes del municipio a Argentina". España Exterior (in Spanish). 25 October 2019. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Adiós a Pepa Noia: ¡Hasta la victoria siempre!" (in Spanish). CTA Capital. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 5 January 2026. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Biografías" (in Spanish). Madres de Plaza de Mayo Línea Fundadora (sitio oficial). Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "Pepa García de Noia, ciudadana ilustre". Página/12 (in Spanish). 6 July 2010. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b c d "Madre por siempre". Revista Acción (in Spanish). 9 September 2015. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Pepa Noia (entrevista)" (PDF) (in Galician). Consello da Cultura Galega. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Declaran Ciudadana Ilustre porteña a la cofundadora de Madres de Plaza de Mayo" (in Spanish). La Prensa. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  11. ^ Scocco, Marianela (2021). Una historia en movimiento: las luchas por los derechos humanos en Rosario, 1968–1985 (PDF). Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento; Universidad Nacional de La Plata; Universidad Nacional de Misiones. ISBN 978-987-630-548-8. Retrieved 1 January 2026.

Further reading

  • Arrosagaray, Enrique (2011). Josefina Pepa de Noia. Una Madre de la primera hora. Buenos Aires: Hombre Nuevo.
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