Luisa Toledo
Luisa Toledo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Luisa de las Mercedes Toledo Sepúlveda 21 June 1939 |
| Died | 6 July 2021 (aged 82) Santiago, Chile |
| Resting place | Santiago General Cemetery |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Spouse | Manuel Vergara Meza |
| Children | 4 |
Luisa de las Mercedes Toledo Sepúlveda (21 June 1939 – 6 July 2021) was a Chilean human rights activist and the mother of the Vergara Toledo brothers, who were murdered by the Carabineros de Chile during the military dictatorship.
Early life and family
Toledo was born on 21 June 1939 to Manuel Toledo Álvarez and Mercedes Sepúlveda Rodríguez.
In 1960, aged 21, Toledo met Manuel Vergara Meza, a labourer and leader in the Young Christian Workers, whilst working as a secretary at a factory.[1][2] Toledo and Vergara later married on 1 December 1962.[2] In 1963[a], Toledo and Vergara moved to the José Cardán neighborhood[b] in the Estación Central commune in Santiago.[2][1]
Toledo and Vergara had four children:
- Pablo Orlando Vergara Toledo (1963–1988), engineer and member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR)[3][2]
Activism
Toledo was a supporter of the government of Salvador Allende.[1][2] Following the 1973 Chilean coup d'état Toledo and Vergara joined the Villa Francia neighborhood resistance.[1] In 1974, Toledo began working at the Committee of Cooperation for Peace in Chile where she transcribed reports of human rights violations and worked as a secretary for José Zalaquett.[2] In 1975, Toledo began working at the Vicariate of Solidarity, the committee's successor.[2][1][7] Both Toledo and Vergara were devout catholics and were followers of Mariano Puga Concha.[1][7]
Murder of the Vergara Toledo brothers
On 29 March 1985, Toledo's sons Eduardo and Rafael were murdered by the Carabineros de Chile in Villa Francia.[8] Toledo's eldest son and daughter went into exile in Spain.[1][3]
On 5 November 1988, Toledo's eldest son Pablo died in Cerro Mariposa, Temuco alongside Aracely Victoria Romo Álvarez, a following member of the MIR, following a bomb explosion.[1][8][9][10] Having allegedly planned to blow up a high-voltage tower, the nature Pablo's and Romo's death is still under investigation.[1][8][9]
Personal life
Toledo died of stomach cancer on 6 July 2021 in Santiago, aged 82.[9] Toledo is buried at Santiago General Cemetery.[11]
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Torres, Verónica (29 March 2012). "La tragedia de los Vergara Toledo: Tres lutos en una familia". The Clinic (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile. Archived from the original on 13 September 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cofré, Víctor. "Entre Cristo y el MIR". Casos Vicaría (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Diego Portales University. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Antecedentes del Caso, Relatos de Los Hechos: Pablo Orlando Vergara Toledo". MemoriaViva (in Spanish). Proyecto Internacional de Derechos Humanos. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Antecedentes del Caso, Relatos de Los Hechos: Rafael Mauricio Vergara Toledo". MemoriaViva (in Spanish). Proyecto Internacional de Derechos Humanos. 2 June 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Antecedentes del Caso, Relatos de Los Hechos: Rafael Mauricio Vergara Toledo". MemoriaViva (in Spanish). Proyecto Internacional de Derechos Humanos. 3 June 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Rafael Vergara Toledo, Eduardo Vergara Toledo". Archivo de Fondos y Colecciones: Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos Chile (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Museum of Memory and Human Rights. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b "#MujeresDefensoras: Luisa Toledo (1939)". Conectados con la Memoria (in Spanish). Santiago, Chile: Fundación Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "La historia de los hijos de Luisa Toledo: La muerte de los hermanos Vergara en manos de la dictadura". Resumen (in Spanish). Concepción, Chile. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "Luisa Toledo, madre de los hermanos Vergara Toledo, falleció tras una larga enfermedad". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Santiago Chile. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "Antecedentes del Caso, Relatos de Los Hechos: Aracely Victoria Romo Álvarez". MemoriaViva (in Spanish). Proyecto Internacional de Derechos Humanos. 25 April 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
- ^ "«Los que luchan jamás te olvidarán»: cientos de personas despiden a Luisa Toledo en cortejo fúnebre". El Mostrador. Providencia, Santiago. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2026.