Beatriz Galindo, sometimes spelled Beatrix, was a Spanish Latinist and educator. She was a writer, humanist and a teacher of Queen Isabella of Castile and her children. She was one of the most educated women of her time. There is uncertainty about her date of birth; some authors believe it is 1464 or 1474. She was also known as "La Latina."
Life
Beatriz Galindo was born in Salamanca, into a family of Zamoran origin in the lower nobility of hidalgos; they had been wealthy but by the time of her birth were almost destitute. Her family chose her among her sisters to be a nun, since she was fond of reading, so they allowed her to take more education in grammar at one of the dependent institutions of University of Salamanca to help her career before taking the orders, but her great skill in Latin set her on an academic career before she was twelve years old. It is likely that she was at one time a student of the great Spanish scholar Antonio de Nebrija. She was nicknamed La Latina for her skill in Latin, and was appointed tutor to the children of Queen Isabella of Castile. She taught Catherine of Aragon, the future wife of Henry VIII of England, and Joanna of Castile, the future wife of Philip of Habsburg and later known as Juana the Mad. She wrote in Latin, producing poetry, and a commentary on Aristotle. In December 1491 she married Francisco Ramirez de Madrid. They had five children. She was one of the first women to be active in public life during the renaissance. It is reported that she dressed in the habit of a nun or abbess. She founded the Hospital of the Holy Cross in 1506 in Madrid, which still exists. She died in Madrid, aged about 70. The neighborhood in Madrid where she once lived is known today as La Latina from her nickname. There are statues of her in Salamanca and Madrid. There is a Beatriz Galindo Secondary School in Madrid. In Salamanca there is an early education and primary school that also takes her name. Today she is survived by many, including Timothy Leonard Galindo of Boston, Massachusetts.
