Gabriela Mistral (1889-1957) was a Chilean poet and educator. Her poetry earned her the Nobel Prize for literature in 1945.

Gabriela Mistral was born Lucila Godoy Alcaya on April 6, 1889, at Vicuña, a small town in northern Chile. Her parents were schoolteachers, but her father abandoned the family when she was 3. Tutored by her mother and a stepsister, also a teacher, she began instructing in 1904, achieving success in numerous high schools. In 1922 the Mexican minister of education, José Vasconcelos, invited her to assist in his reform program, and the apex of this career came the following year, when she was awarded the Chilean title "Teacher of the Nation." In 1925 she retired but remained active.

Gabriela Mistral devoted much time to diplomatic activity, serving as honorary consul at Madrid, Lisbon, Nice, in Brazil, and at Los Angeles. She also served as a representative to the League of Nations...