Statue of Luis Pérez Ponce

Let us imagine for a moment the year 1704. In a society where education was a rare privilege and almost forbidden for women, a priest born in Villafranca had the audacity to break the mold.

Luis Pérez Ponce (1666-1721) was not just another cleric. Educated under the tutelage of Cardinal Salazar in Córdoba and after serving in Aldea del Río, he returned to his hometown in 1712 with a firm purpose: to combat ignorance. His most valuable legacy was not stones or temples, but a revolutionary idea: the founding of the College of Jesús, María y José.

What is truly extraordinary about his work lies in its statutes, documents that today we would read as manifestos of equality. Pérez Ponce established a school that was public, free, and for girls. His rules were clear-cut and humanist: he strictly forbade physical punishment (“offenses”), something unheard of in the pedagogy of the time, where “learning was beaten into you”.

His vision was inclusive: “any woman who wishes to be taught may enter”, his writings read. The only requirement was to be over four years old and in good health. There, doctrine was taught, but also reading, sewing, and needlework, adapting the levels to the ability of each student. Pérez Ponce not only educated; he dignified women in a dark age, leaving a trail of light that crossed local borders and marked a milestone in the educational history of Córdoba.