Juliana Castro Varon

3 weeks ago | newyorker.com | Juliana Castro Varon

“It’s not a popularity contest—that’s what the Oscars are for.”

2 months ago | newyorker.com | Juliana Castro Varon

“Best I can do right now is warmer weather.”

Apr 28, 2023 | atlasobscura.com | Juliana Castro Varon

Every revolution needs a hero, and Manuela Beltrán was the most unlikely of them all. A peasant town merchant with the rare skill of literacy, Beltrán would become a pivotal figure in the Colombian Comuneros Revolt of 1781. Today the country is filled with statues honoring her story: After Spanish authorities declared a new tax spike in Socorro, her hometown in the northeast, Beltrán marched to the town square, tore up the edict, and led a revolution that would pave the way for independence.