De lo Rural a lo Urbano: Historia de una mujer Rural y su evolución en el contexto urbano.

Abstract

This paper analyzes the life trajectory of Nathalia, an Indigenous woman who migrated from a rural area to the city of Cuenca, highlighting the structural challenges she faced in terms of violence, ethnic discrimination, and precarious employment. Based on her testimony, the study examines the subsistence strategies she employed in the informal sector, combining paid domestic work, street vending, and traditional knowledge as mechanisms for adapting to a context of social exclusion. The study also delves into the processes of personal and collective transformation that emerged from her experience, particularly through access to technical training and her participation in support networks and spaces for the defense of rights. These elements allow us to understand how urban migration, far from being solely a factor of vulnerability, can become a scenario for identity redefinition and the expansion of professional and social horizons. Finally, the analysis reveals the reconfiguration of gender roles in contexts of mobility, highlighting the strengthening of Nathalia's economic and decisional autonomy, as well as the construction of care communities among Indigenous women. Taken together, this work highlights the structural dimension of inequalities, but also the agency and resilience that runs through their history.