El diecisiete de junio/June 17th
Image from portalguarani.com. Click HERE . ¡Feliz cumpleaños a ... Carmen Casco de Lara Castro! (1918-1993) Carmen Casco de Lara Castro, also known as "Coca," was a Paraguayan teacher, leading women's and human rights advocate, and politician. She was one of seven children born into a wealthy, politically liberal family and studied at the Colegio María Auxiliadora. When she was a teenager, her father left to fight in the Chaco War (1932-1935), which was fought between Paraguay and Bolivia over control of the Gran Chaco region. Her uncle, President of Paraguay José Félix Estigarribia, died in a (presumed accidental) plane crash a year after his election. In 1954 Alfredo Stroessner came to power in an army coup, and he would lead Paraguay with an iron first for 35 years. It was under these conditions that Casco de Lara, who saw many in her own family exiled, fought for human rights. In 1962 (only one year after women gained the right to vote in Paraguay) she and sev...