Rosario Castellanos

Rosario Castellanos was born in Mexico City in 1925, but spent her childhood in Comitán, Chiapas, where her family owned a ranch. She witnessed the social and economic oppression of the indigenous people who worked on the land, which influenced her later writings. She studied philosophy and literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where she also taught and became a prominent figure in the cultural and intellectual circles. She wrote novels, short stories, poems, essays, and plays, exploring themes such as gender, culture, identity, and power. She was one of the first Mexican women writers to challenge the patriarchal norms and stereotypes of her society, and to advocate for women's rights and education. She also worked for the National Indigenous Institute, creating puppet shows and literacy programs for rural communities. She married Ricardo Guerra, a philosophy professor, in 1958, and had a son, Gabriel, in 1961. She suffered from depression and had several miscarriages, which affected her personal and professional life. She divorced Guerra in 1971, after discovering his infidelity. That same year, she was appointed as Mexico's ambassador to Israel, a position she held until her death. She died in Tel Aviv in 1974, after being accidentally electrocuted by a faulty heater. She was buried in the Pantheon of Illustrious Men in Mexico City, and her remains were later moved to the Rotonda de las Personas Ilustres. She is widely regarded as one of the most important Mexican writers of the 20th century, and a pioneer of feminist thought and literature in Latin America.