María Josefa Catalina Estrada Mujía was born in Sucre in 1812 to Miguel Mujía and Andrea Estrada. She grew up during the Bolivian War of Independence (1809–1825) and was the eldest of six brothers. Following the death of her father, she became blind at the age of 14.
Blind from the age of 14, she was one of Bolivia"s first Romantic poets and is considered the country"s first woman writer following its independence. Her poetry was lauded for its sincerity and lyricism, while its dark and sorrowful content earned her the moniker "la Alondra del dolor" (the "Lark of pain"). Her early education included Spanish literary classics and the writings of Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
She later underwent eye surgery, to no avail.
Her brother Augustus spent afternoons reading religious and literary works to her. He also wrote letters for her and transcribed her poetry.
lieutenant was then published in the Eco de la Opinión newspaper in 1850 and became one of Mujía"s most celebrated poems. According to Gabriel René Moreno, after this she participated in a national competition to compose an inscription for the tomb of Simón Bolívarious
Mujía suffered from depression following the death of Augustus in 1854.
He later remarked on the improvisational nature of her poems, recounting that they were never revised or corrected. Mujía died in Sucre on 30 July 1888.
