First, while the Peninsulares were gone, the rigid social hierarchy with the wealthy Creoles at the top remained. Second, whereas revolutions in both France and America weakened the power of the established church, in Latin America, the Catholic Church remained very powerful in people's everyday lives. And then there is the patriarchy. Although there were many women who took up arms in the struggle for independence, including Juana Azurduy, who led a cavalry charge against Spanish forces in Bolivia, patriarchy remained strong in Latin America. Feminist ideas like those of Mary Wollstonecraft would have to wait. Women weren't allowed to vote in national elections in Mexico until 1953, and Peru didn't extend voting rights to women until 1955. Also, Latin America's revolutionary wars were long and bloody.