Maria Quitéria

Maria Quitéria de Jesus was a Brazilian soldier and national heroine. She served in the Brazilian War of Independence in 1822–24 dressed as a man. She was promoted to cadet and lieutenant and later decorated with the Imperial Order of the Cross. Quitéria has been called the "Brazilian Joan of Arc", and has become a legendary figure in Brazil. Quitéria was the first woman to serve in a military unit in the country. She is known as one of the three Bahia women fighters against the Portuguese along with Maria Filipa de Oliveira and Sister Joana Angélica (1761-1822).