Valentina sauce is one of the most famous spicy sauces in the world. It was created in 1960 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, but its name was inspired by a woman who made history at the beginning of the century. Sometimes known as the “Mexican Mulan,” Valentina Ramírez dressed as a man to enlist in the army and fight in the Mexican Revolution.
Who Was Valentina Ramírez?
In 1910, during the Mexican Revolution, Francisco I. Madero’s troops fought to remove Porfirio Díaz from power. At that time, women could not be part of the army, but one woman did so under a male identity: Valentina Ramírez Avitia, then known as Juan Ramírez.
Valentina was born on February 14, 1893, in Norotal. Her father, a farmer who was also committed to the revolutionary cause, had died before he could enlist. Young Valentina wanted to honor her father and join the fight for the same causes he believed in. However, she was not accepted because women could not be soldiers, at least not in the same way as their male comrades. To achieve this, she completely changed her identity. She dressed in men’s clothing, hid her long hair, and learned to ride a horse.
In less than a year, Valentina achieved the rank of lieutenant due to her outstanding performance in battle in Culiacán, Sinaloa. She was part of other important victories of the Maderist troops until she was discovered. “Juan” was actually Valentina. For that reason, she was expelled from the army.
Sadly, Valentina could not return home. Her brothers rejected her because she was not present during her mother’s passing. Although the young woman had been a great soldier in the Mexican Revolution, she was not entitled to a pension as a war veteran and became a household worker in Sinaloa.
In 1969, Valentina Ramírez was hit by a car and taken to a nursing home in the capital of Sinaloa. But she did not want to spend the rest of her life locked up and escaped. She passed on April 4, 1979.
Why Is the Sauce Called After Her?
In addition to a ballad that recalls the feats of Valentina Ramírez Avitia, the Valentina sauce is named in her honor. The revolutionary may not be properly remembered in textbooks, but inside and outside of Mexico there is a condiment in which she will always be present.
Valentina sauce has existed since the 60s and was created by the founders of Tamazula sauce, a company from Jalisco that continues to manufacture this and other condiments to this day. Its creators wanted to honor a woman who fought bravely for what she believed in, and who helped the revolutionaries achieve a new era in the history of Mexico.
