| Maria Werneck de Castro | |
| Birth Date: | October 8, 1909 |
| Birth Place: | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Death Place: | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Occupation: | Attorney |
| Spouse: | Luis Werneck de Castro |
Maria Morais Werneck de Castro (Rio de Janeiro, 1909 - Rio de Janeiro, 1993) was a Brazilian lawyer, militant communist, and feminist.
Castro was born on October 8, 1909[1] in barrio Laranjeiras, the daughter of attorney Justo de Moraes and Herminia Cresta Mendes de Moraes. Her paternal grandfather was, who was Minister of War in 1909. In school, she studied law. She married the communist militant Luis Werneck de Castro, also a lawyer.
Castro was a communist activist who fought for women's suffrage rights, from 1930 onwards. She participated in the Federación Brasileña por el Progreso Femenino, and in the Liga Antifascista. Castro was a close friend of Luís Carlos Prestes and his sister, Clotilde Prestes, as well as a companion to Nise da Silveira and Olga Benário Prestes, the latter having been accused of being one of the leaders of the Communist Revolt of 1935. With Mary Mercio and Eugênia Álvaro Moreyra, she co-founded the, also serving as its director. Castro went into exile in Argentina. She became a member of the Brazilian Communist Party in 1947, serving in the Movimiento Unitario de los Trabajadores e Intelectuales. Towards the end of her life, Castro became devoted to education, being a professor of Portuguese and history.
Castro died on April 6, 1994, in Rio de Janeiro.[1]