International Day of Indigenous Women (September 5): The Legacy of Indigenous Activist Lucila Mejía

On the International Day of Indigenous Women and Girls on September 5, the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV) honors the Bolivian indigenous activist Lucila Mejía Soto de Morales. She passed away on August 29, 2026, at the age of 77. Mejía was one of the pioneers of political organizing among indigenous and peasant women in Bolivia and was the founder and first chairperson of what later became the “Bartolina Sisa” organization.

The International Day of Indigenous Women was adopted by the UN General Assembly in November 2025 and is being celebrated for the first time this year. The day has its origins in Bolivia. It was established in 1983 during the Second Meeting of Organizations and Movements of the Americas in Tihuanacu—in honor of Bartolina Sisa, an Aymara woman who led the resistance against colonial oppression in the 18th century and was executed on September 5, 1782.

For decades, Lucila Mejía advocated for indigenous and peasant women to represent their own political interests and assert their collective rights. Her commitment exemplifies the political organizing of indigenous women who, in many Latin American countries, are fighting for the rights of their communities, their territories, and political participation. Lucila Mejía was born on October 31, 1948, in Chiarumani, in the province of Aroma, La Paz Department, Bolivia. At the age of twelve, she moved to Cochabamba, where she worked as a domestic worker. The experiences she had during this time shaped her later commitment to the rights of Indigenous and peasant women.

“Lucila Mejía belongs to a generation of Indigenous women who organized to combat the political and social exclusion of their communities—and, in particular, the marginalization of women within those structures,” explains Jan Königshausen, Indigenous Peoples Officer at the GfbV. “By founding the ‘Bartolinas,’ Mejía created an independent political organization for indigenous and peasant women. In doing so, she highlighted that the political participation of indigenous women is not merely a question of representation. It plays a decisive role in determining whether communities can decide for themselves about their land, their resources, and their future.”

Today, the political achievements of Indigenous women worldwide are under increasing pressure. Wherever states, corporations, and other actors vie for land, natural resources, and political influence, the rights of Indigenous communities are particularly targeted. Indigenous women who represent their communities are especially at risk.

Developments in Bolivia also demonstrate how relevant the issues Mejía fought for continue to be: Indigenous representation is being rolled back, and even the parliament—which had briefly achieved gender parity—is once again heavily male-dominated—just like the government, where all ministries are headed by men. Collective land rights are being weakened, and Indigenous organizations are being pushed out of political decision-making processes. Indigenous women are the first to feel the immediate effects.

“The struggle of indigenous women is not a closed chapter in Bolivian history,” says Königshausen. “Lucila Mejía showed what political organizing can achieve. Her legacy compels us today to listen to and support the women who are fighting for their communities, their territories, and their right to self-determination.”