Benita Galeana House Museum

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The Benita Galeana House Museum is a museum dedicated to the study of the Women’s movement and social struggle. Opened in June of 2000, its mission is to continue the fight of Benita Galeana, a social and human rights activist, particularly focused on the women’s movement.

The museum collection includes photos, awards, and personal objects from Galeana’s life. There’s also a library of more than a thousand volumes and a photographic archive. The museum also hosts exhibitions in the visual arts, conferences, concerts and courses focused on women’s empowerment.

Benita Galeana Lacunza (1903-1995) began her life as an early feminist writer, suffragist, trade unionist, and activist. She was self-taught, and among the most notable speakers of her time, a prominent figure for the entirety of the second half of the 20th century. A member of the Mexican Communist Party from 1927, she was later part of the Only Socialist Party of Mexico (Partido Socialista Único de México) after the dissolution of the Communists. Her work was vital to the establishment of the eight-hour workday. She also participated in the establishment of the social security system. As a  prominent trade unionist, she participated in multiple strikes over many decades.

A pioneer of the Mexican socialist feminism, she fought for women’s right to vote, for nurseries, abortion rights, and for maternal work-leave. She was part of the group of women and intellectuals who founded the United Front for Women’s Rights.