She was born in Los Andes, Chile on September 7, 1896, to Tránsito Pizarro and an unnamed father, according to the Civil Register of Births in that city.
[1] At the age of 17 she entered the School of Fine Arts of the University of Chile; she later claimed that she was promoted by the diplomat Pedro Felipe Iñíguez, who discovered her talent.
As a student, she stood out for her rebellious spirit against the academic impositions of her teachers, among whom was Virginio Arias.
During her stay in Europe, she was also part of the International Red Aid,[3] and in Chile she joined the "Alliance of Intellectuals" who supported the Spanish Republic during the Civil War, in 1938.
Parallel to her artistic career, she developed her vocation as an educator, taking and teaching drawing and visual arts classes.