Rural Education and the State in Mexico: The Legacy of Elena Torres Cuellar

Background/Context: This article is part of a broader investigation of the sociocultural history of rural education in Mexico that focuses on federally financed “social experiments,” the main purpose of which was to find “effective” methods to educate and “civilize” the rural population, especially Indigenous people. Purpose/Objective: Although the contributions of Elena Torres Cuellar, a graduate of Columbia University’s Teachers College, to rural education in Mexico were very important, comparatively little is known about her life and legacy. Research Design & Data Collection: This historical essay uses archival and primary sources to recover fundamental aspects of the legacy of Elena Torres Cuellar in the history of Mexican rural education in the context of the construction of the postrevolutionary state and political system. The article approaches this legacy through analysis of Torres’s career trajectory, emphasizing her work for the Secretariat of Public Education. Conclusions: Elena Torres Cuellar had a big influence on the organization of Mexico’s Cultural Missions and other projects in rural education. Torres Cuellar’s studies on rural education at Teachers College under the mentorship of Mabel Carney in 1925 and 1926 were fundamental to Torres’s life and work. The importance of women educators and social workers as well as their empowerment are central themes in her life and career.