Eliza Lynch: Irish courtesan turned Latin American heroine

Eliza Lynch’s tomb in Recoleta Cemetery, Paraguay

How did an Irish girl fleeing famine in the 19th century end up lying in a grand tomb thousands of miles away in Paraguay? The story of Eiiza Lynch is one of sex, controversy, tragedy and ultimately, incredible courage and fortitude. So she is the subject of this month’s Herstory.

Eliza Lynch was born in Cork in 1833 to a middle class family: her father was a doctor and her mother was from a naval family. At 10, she emigrated to Paris with her family to flee the famine. At the age of 17 she was married to a French Officer who was posted to Algeria. She returned though, -  some say because of poor health, while others say because she ran away with another officer, and followed HIM back to Paris. 

Either way, she moved in with her mother, and thanks to some high society introductions, she found herself in Paris’ elite circle of socialites and nobility, including Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, niece of Napoleon. It was here that she became a courtesan to the elites. A ‘Grande Horizontale’. She lived in a mansion, she had a casino installed, and she became, with her legendary beauty, the ‘talk of the town’.

Eliza circa 1855 in traditional Paraguayan costume

In 1854 she met General Francisco Lopez, son of the President of Paraguay, and became his mistress, accompanying him back to Paraguay that same year. He must’ve been fond of her! She bore him six children between 1855 and 1867, but he never married her. (She was, you’ll recall, already technically married to that French Officer out in Algeria). Lopez was not said to have been particularly blessed in the looks department, but was nevertheless ‘a ravisher’ of women. Physically speaking, he clearly was punching above his weight with Eliza, who saw an opportunity to gain wealth and status with him.  

To Paraguay, of course, their union was scandalous.  Eliza, a foreign-born courtesan living like a Queen in their country? She was shunned and despised by Paraguayan nobility. She was shocked by the poverty of the country too, and tried to influence her husband to build more housing, although these projects weren’t always seen through to completion, and her commitment to alleviating poverty has been cast into doubt as a result. 

Lopez became President of Paraguay upon the death of his father, the incumbent, in 1862. Eliza became ‘First Lady’, despite not being married to Lopez. How? Well, her marriage to the French Officer was declared null and void, owing to the fact he had not received permission to marry from his commanding officer in the first place, and they’d had no children together. In 1857 he remarried anyway, and had children by his new wife. 

For the next 15 years, therefore, Eliza was the most powerful and influential woman in the country. She presided over the country during the Paraguayan war, and played a major part in it, to varying degrees according to historians. 

Lopez in 1869

War broke out in 1864 between Paraguay and the ‘Triple Alliance’ of Brazil,  Argentina and Uruguay. It was a bloody war that resulted in many casualties and ultimate defeat for Paraguay. Paraguay’s enemies painted Lopez as a bloodthirsty dictator who was ‘seduced’ into starting the war by his scheming mistress, Eliza. They claimed that it was SHE that really held the reins. But in her biography, she claims that is not the case, and much of the slander against Eliza is likely to be propaganda by the enemy, and therefore biased and questionable.  

What Eliza DID do was found and lead a group called "Las Residentas", composed of the soldiers' wives, daughters, and others who supported the soldiers and marched alongside them. But by 1870, the civilian ‘army’ was reduced to sick and starving women, children and elderly citizens. Paraguay were losing. The final battle took place at Cerro Cora. Eliza was with Lopez when he was killed in battle, and they also had their eldest son Juan, who was 15 and a Colonel, in tow.

Upon the capture of Eliza and Juan, the Brazilian soldiers asked Juan to surrender, which he, like his father, refused to do. He was shot and killed in front of his mother. Eliza then apparently fell upon the body of her slain son,  and shouted to the officers ‘Is this the civilisation you have promised?!’ Referring to the propagandist claims of the Triple Alliance to ‘free’ Paraguay from tyranny under Lopez. 

Eliza was forced to bury her husband and son with her bare hands where they fell in the jungle,  before being taken prisoner by the allies. She was then banished from the country, now under the control of the conquerors, and with her remaining 4 children (her youngest had died of dysentery on the warfront) she sailed back to Paris.  

Artistic images and photos of the Battle of Cerro Cora, 1870

Five years later, Eliza, obviously still reeling at her fall from grace, went back to Paraguay to try to claim her former property and status, but was banished permanently. So she returned to Paris, and there died in obscurity, in 1886.

But she was to return to Paraguay after all! In 1961, more than 70 years after her death, her remains were disinterred and she was repatriated back to Paraguay, on the orders of the then Dictator Stroessner, and her stately tomb stands in the National Cemetery of Recoleta. There is even a statue of her at Asuncion airport.

In May of this year, Paraguay’s parliament voted to award her posthumous Paraguayan nationality, and to move her body to the National Pantheon of Heroes: chapel! They claimed that she deserved the honour because of her  “loyalty to the fatherland” and her “unconditional love” for López.  What a turnaround! 

Depending on what perspective you take,  Eliza is either a villain or a saint. Her legacy is tarred by her association with a dictator-led nation. But what is not in doubt is the fact that she was quite a character. While in exile from Paraguay, she wrote an autobiography about her life and experiences which is full of very colourful and questionable tales about her early life. She claimed, for example, to have been declared ‘a genius’ by Victor Hugo, and that Chopin (no less!) ’wept’ when she said she didn’t want to become a pianist. She claimed to have helped women and children during the war effort, although many sources claim she was more interested in being a socialite: hosting balls and setting fashion trends. 

Less sympathetic portraits of  Eliza said that she was a money-hungry, ruthless woman who encouraged her husband to have mistresses so that she could have extra-marital affairs. It was even alleged that she stole from the rich ladies in Paraguay, claiming to take their jewellery for ‘the war effort’ and then cashing them in for herself.  It is true that the war made her extremely wealthy. She amassed 35 acres of land during it, making her the richest female landowner of her day.

Lopez, meanwhile, was a sadistic dictator who tortured prisoners. He led his country into a catastrophic war that resulted in an estimated  third of the population surviving, and only approximately 10% of that third being adult males. It is no wonder that many saw Lopez, and by extension Eliza -  as villains. 

Eliza in 1864

So what’s the truth? It is unclear. Eliza was, like all of us, a complex character who can’t be painted in black and white. Was she a bit of a yarn-spinner? Probably. Was she a cunning whore? Likely. Was she a thief, a war-monger, a gold-digging psychopath who happily saw women and children starve and die around her? That I’m not sure about. She was, ultimately,  a wife and mother who stood by her husband, watched him die, watched two of her children die, and then bury them. She was a woman surviving in a man’s world, in a foreign land, and where she prudently, used what she had - her wits and charm -  to survive.

As usual, misogyny dictates that women like this are vilified. I am not saying Eliza was a saint or she couldn’t have done more to help the people of Paraguay. But we shouldn’t be so quick to judge or crucially, believe everything we read. What’s more, the Paraguay she experienced hasn’t changed a huge amount.  It is still a very patriarchal, macho country. Abortion is outlawed, ultra-conservatism is thriving, and child pregnancy is very high. Women are still second class citizens. To make her mark there, as a woman,  for good or for bad, is in my view, an achievement.

That’s all for this month’s Herstory. Hope you all enjoy the last gasps of the summer. If you fancy hearing more about ‘cunning whores’ like Eliza, come along to Harlots, Strumpets and Tarts, Oh My! on 29 August, and we’ve also got Votes for Women! on 31st August.

Herstorical Tours…x