María del Refugio García Martínez, or Cuca García, was a central figure in Mexican activist circles; she played a pivotal role in the Mexican Communist Party (PCM) and the women's movement. Born to a middle-class family in Taretan, Michoacán, García's father was a socially minded doctor who served and advocated for rural laborers on local sugar haciendas. He also supported the education of his daughter, an increasingly widespread practice, especially among liberals. When she was 19 years old, García's father died, leaving his widow alone to raise her children in difficult economic circumstances. These early experiences informed García's subsequent trajectory. García was an early member of the Michoacán Socialist Party (established in 1917) and the PCM (established in 1919), and she was a founding member of the Mexican Feminist Advisory Board (established in 1919) and the Sole Front for Women's Rights (FUPDM, established in 1935). García's name has appeared repeatedly...

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