Ana Roque de Duprey

Ana Roque de Duprey
Roque was one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico
Born	Ana Roqué Geigel April 18, 1853 Aguadilla, Puerto Rico
Died	1933 Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Occupation	educator and suffragist
Spouse(s)	Luis Duprey
Notes
Roque founded the Puerto Rican Feminist League, the first feminist organization in Puerto Rico dedicated to the issues of women's rights.

Ana Roqué de Duprey, also known as "Flor del Valle" (Flower of the Valley), (April 18, 1853 – 1933), was an educator, suffragist and one of the founders of the University of Puerto Rico.

Roqué (birth name: Ana Roqué Geigel) was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. She lived among books and had learned how to write by the age of three. Her mother died when she was only 4 years old and she was raised by her father, aunt and grandmother, who were all educators. In 1860, when Roqué was seven years old, she was sent to a regular school, and two years later graduated. She continued her home schooling and in 1864 at the age of eleven, became the youngest teacher's assistant in Puerto Rico. In 1866, at age 13, she founded a school in her house. She also wrote a geography textbook for her students, which was later adopted by the Department of Education of Puerto Rico. She applied for her teacher's license and passed the examinations.

In 1872, she married Luis Duprey, a well-to-do landowner who was involved in politics. She developed an interest in the politics of Puerto Rico. With Duprey, she had five children. Three survived to adulthood: Luis Enrique, Borinquen and America.

The family moved to the capital of San Juan, where she became the first woman to be permitted into the Puerto Rican Athenaeum and the first woman to become a member of the Public Library. During her spare time, she composed music. In 1880 her husband died, leaving her with young children to care for.

In 1884, Roqué was offered a teacher's position in Arecibo, which she accepted. She also enrolled at the Provincial Institute where she studied philosophy and science and earned her Bachelor's Degree. In 1899, Roque was appointed as the director of the Normal School of San Juan.

In 1898, Roqué founded La Mujer, the first "women's only" magazine in Puerto Rico. She also wrote articles for the following newspapers: El Buscapie, El Imparcial and El Mundo. She founded other women's publications and some of general interest: La Evolucion (1902), La Mujer del Siglo XX in (1907), Album Puertorriqueño (1918) and Heraldo de la Mujer (1920).