Belize: Esther Josefina Ayuso

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1958, Esther Josefina Ayuso is considered the first professional woman architect in Belize. Her family returned to Belize City, British Honduras (modern-day Belize), where she was raised. Ayuso holds a diploma in architecture from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas (1982). After graduation, she worked in Caracas for nine years. In 1992, due to a military coup, she returned home to Belize, now with a family. Ayuso worked as an architect at Professional Engineering Services in Belize City, Belize, before establishing her own architectural firm with her husband (c. 1995), which permanently closed after Hurricane Keith (2000). She served as a founding member and president of the Association of Professional Architects, Belize (2001), as a senator in Belize (2006–2008), as chair of the National Women’s Commission (2008-2020), as a Belizean delegate for the Inter-American Commission of Women (2008–2020), and was a founding member of the Belize City Local Building Authority (2009). Ayuso was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (2015).