Prestes was born Altamira Rodrigues Sobral in
Recife,
Brazil, in 1930. She grew up working in the fields; her parents João Rodrigues Sobral (known as "Camarada Lima") and Mariana Ribas Pontes Rodrigues Sobral were peasants and Brazilian Communist Party activists. Her father was imprisoned for a large portion of her childhood. Her first marriage, at a very young age, fell apart quickly, leaving her with two children, Pedro and Paulo. She lived among her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in
Rio de Janeiro until her death on 4 February 2022, of
COVID-19, at age 92. Brazilian women's rights activist Edna Calheiros called her death a "great loss of a compatriot, a comrade, a fighter." == References ==