Maria José de Castro Rebello Mendes (Salvador, September 20, 1891 – Rio de Janeiro, October 29, 1936) was the first Brazilian woman to be accepted to work for the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a controversial event back when women were expected to be subordinated to their husband.

Her father died when she was young and her mother, to support the family and her education, opened a school called Colégio Alemão.

[1] In Rio de Janeiro, Rebello Mendes briefly worked as a private tutor for children, but her income was not enough to her.

Nilo Peçanha defended her aṕplication, arguing that many of the abilities required for the job, like discretion, was not exclusive to men.

Local newspapers vocalized their fears that a woman working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs undermined men from government offices.