![Griseldagobernadora](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/11/Griseldagobernadora.jpg)
Griselda Álvarez Ponce de León (5 April 1913 – 26 March 2009) was the first female
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. Álvarez was Governor of the state of
Colima
Colima (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Colima), is one of the 31 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and ...
from 1979 to 1985.
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Biography
She was born in
Guadalajara
Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...
,
Jalisco
Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...
, capital of Colima's northern neighbor, where her family lived after the most violent eruption in modern history of the
Volcano of Fire in Colima. The eruption began 20 January 1913 and continued for four days. She was born into one of the most important families in Colima. Her parents were Miguel Álvarez García and María Dolores Guadalupe Eugenia Ponce de León.
Her father at the time of her birth was a soldier in the Army, but later was governor of Colima from 1919 until 1923. Her great-grandfather, General Manuel Álvarez, a delegate in the
Constituent Congress
A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...
, was designated the highest political figure in the territory of Colima in 1826. In 1857 when Colima became a state, he became its first governor.
She died in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, aged 95.
Writing career
Griselda Álvarez studied at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...
(UNAM) and received her degree in writing and composition. She then began her work as a poet and writer.
Her works include:
*Cementerio de Pájaros 1956
*Dos cantos 1959
*Desierta compañía 1961
*Letanía erótica para la paz 1963
*La sombra niña 1965
*Anatomía superficial 1967
*Estación sin nombre 1972
While composing her works, she was also working as a teacher, but eventually she entered public service. While she did not abandon her work as a teacher, she took a post in the public sector working under the secretary of education, and moved into the realm of social work eventually becoming the director of volunteer services in the federal social security institute.
Public office
Álvarez left to serve as
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from the state of Jalisco from 1976 to 1979, then as Governor of Colima from 1979 to 1985, making her the first female governor of Mexico. Her goal as governor was "''educar para progresar''" (Educate for progress) While she worked hard for progress as governor, her work did not end there. She went on to found various organizations such as the Center of Attention to Women, The Mexican Women's Alliance, and The Mexican Association of Social Wellbeing. She also served her political party, the
PRI, as a member of the Caucus on National Ideology in 1978 and 1994 and the National Commission of Honor and Justice of the National Executive Committee in 1994 as well as various other committees and consult groups.
Awards and recognition
Álvarez received various awards and recognitions, most recently the Gold Medal of Fine Arts at the National Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City on 8 April 2008. However, due to poor health and her age, the award was accepted by her son, Miguel Delgado Álvarez. She had been bed-ridden for a year, but in very stable condition as her son was quoted as saying she had been out of the hospital for more than a year and that her vital signs were all normal.
Condecoran a Griselda Alvarez con Medalla de Bellas Artes – El Universal – Cultura
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alvarez, Gr
1913 births
2009 deaths
Governors of Colima
Mexican women poets
20th-century Mexican poets
20th-century Mexican women writers
Writers from Guadalajara, Jalisco
Politicians from Guadalajara, Jalisco
20th-century Mexican politicians
Women governors of States of Mexico
20th-century Mexican women politicians