Women’s education was one of the main concerns of Colombian 19th century thinkers. Whereas traditional discourse established that women should be educated because they would become mothers, Soledad Acosta de Samper (1833-1913) and her magazine La Mujer (1878-1881) suggest an alternative education model in which they should be educated to become mothers. Appealing to the hygienist discourse, Acosta establishes that motherhood requires specific knowledge and training (and it is not intuitive) laying the foundations for women’s participation in new social spheres.