Adela Speratti was born in 1865 in Barrero Grande, and her sister Celsa was born in 1868 in Luque, Paraguay. Their mother, Dolores Speratti, was descended from Josefa Facunda Speratti, wife of Fulgencio Yegros, one of the military officers who fought for Paraguayan independence and served as the first head of state. Their grandfather, José Tomás Speratti, had immigrated from Bergamo, Italy. Both girls were born during the catastrophic War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870), in which their father served as a soldier. When their father was killed in the Battle of Ytororó in December 1868, their mother became a refugee, fleeing the violence and moving from place to place until the war ended in 1870. The family eventually moved to Corrientes, Argentina, then to Buenos Aires where the girls began their schooling. In 1882, the family settled in Concepción del Uruguay in eastern Argentina, where Dolores worked at the Escuela Normal de Maestros y Profesores "Mariano Moreno" (Mariano Moreno Normal School of Teachers and Professors). Adela began training to become a teacher at this prestigious institution, and Celsa followed in her sister's footsteps a few years later. Completing her studies in 1886, Adela initially joined the school's administration and later became chair of their mathematics department. In 1889, she moved to Corrientes where she taught reading and writing to first and second year students at the normal school. Her reputation as an exceptional educator grew, and she was encouraged by two other Argentine-trained Paraguayan teachers, Anastacio Riera and Rosa Peña Guanes (wife of former President Juan Gualberto González), to return to Paraguay to help rebuild the nation's devastated educational system. In March 1890, Adela left Argentina for Paraguay, and by May 1890, she had established a school for preceptors in Asunción—the first teacher training facility opened in the country after the war had ended. Celsa joined her sister in this pioneering work, and together they helped organise the first graduate school for girls. The sisters pioneered improved teaching methods and dramatically expanded opportunities for women to become educated in a country where the war had killed the vast majority of adult men, leaving women to rebuild society. In 1897, Adela founded the normal school and became its director, a position she held with distinction until her untimely death on 8 November 1902 at the age of only 36 or 37. Celsa assumed the directorship after her sister's death and led the school for five years until 1907, when she married Pablo G. Garcete, president of the Superior Court of Justice, and retired from teaching. She lived until 1938, dying in Asunción at age 69 or 70. The legacy of the Speratti sisters extends far beyond their lifetimes. The Normal School in Asunción was renamed in Adela's honour, and in 1960, La Escuela Básica Nº 6722 in her hometown (now Eusebio Ayala) was also named after her. The Paraguayan government features Adela on the ₲2,000 banknote, the lowest denomination and most frequently handled note in daily transactions. The government also awards the "Prize Professor Adela Speratti and Ramón Indalecio Cardozo" for excellence in education, honouring her dedication to improving education in the country. The placement of educators on the most common banknote powerfully symbolises that education is not an elite concern but a fundamental value woven into the daily life of every Paraguayan—a fitting tribute to two sisters who dedicated their lives to ensuring that Paraguay's children would have the opportunities for learning that the war had nearly destroyed.