Natalia Toledo
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Natalia Toledo Paz (born 1968) is a Mexican poet who writes in
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and Zapotec. Her work helped to revive interest in the Zapotec language. Ida Kozlowska-Day states that Toledo is "one of the most recognized contemporary poets in the native languages of Mexico."


Early life and education

Toledo Paz was born in
Juchitán de Zaragoza Juchitán de Zaragoza (; Spanish name; Isthmus Zapotec: ''Xabizende'' ) is an indigenous town in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. It is part of the Juchitán District in the west of the Istmo de Tehuantepec region. With a 2005 censu ...
,
Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...
. She is daughter of the painter Francisco Toledo and sister of
Dr Lakra Jerónimo López Ramírez (born 1972), known as Dr Lakra, is a Mexican artist and tattooist based in Oaxaca. Apart from tattooing, his art involves embellishing found images and objects—for instance, dolls, old medical illustrations, and picture ...
. Until she was seven and moved to
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
, Toledo Paz lived in a community where Zapotec was the main language spoken. Toledo Paz has been writing since she was young. Toledo Paz studied in Casa de la Cultura de Juchitán and Sociedad General de Escritores de México (the General Society of Writers of Mexico, SOGEM).


Career

Toledo Paz's writing has been concerned with women and their relationship to the environment. Her writing, along with other writers' use of the Zapotec language in their work, has helped boost demand in Mexico to make indigenous cultures more visible. Toledo Paz enjoys using the Zapotec language because she feels that it has "a great aesthetic sensibility for creating images and beauty." Toledo Paz has also collaborated with her father, Francisco, to create children's stories, such as ''Light Foot/Pies ligeros'' (2007). Toledo Paz has been a fellow of Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (the National Fund for Culture and for the Arts,
FONCA The National Endowment for Culture and Arts (''Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes,'' FONCA) is a public agency of the Mexican federal government, attached to the National Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta). Funding for FONCA com ...
) (1994–1995; 2001–2002), and Fondo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes de Oaxaca (the Fund for Culture and for the Arts of Oaxaca, FOESCA) (1995–1996). She is the president of Patronato de la Casa de la Cultura de Juchitán (Fund of the House of Culture of Juchitán).


Selected works

*Poetry **''Paraíso de fisuras'' (1990), junto con Rocío González, Consejo Estatal para la Cultura y las Artes de Oaxaca. **''Ca guna gu bidxa, ca guna guiiba' risaca'' (''Mujeres del sol, mujeres de oro'', 2002), Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas. **''Guie' yaase (''Olivo negro'', 2004),
CONACULTA The Secretariat of Culture ( es, Secretaría de Cultura), formerly known as the National Council for Culture and Arts ( es, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes or CONACULTA), is a Mexican government agency in charge of the nation's museums ...
. **''Xtaga be'ñe (''Flor de pantano'', 2004), Instituto Oaxaqueño de las Culturas. **''Guendaguti ñee sisi'' (''La muerte pies ligeros'', 2005), Fondo de Cultura Económica. *Anthologies ** Demián Flores Cortés (1993), ''Palimpsesto'', Ediciones Bi'cu'. **Aurora Mayra Saavedra (1996) ''Las divinas mutantes'', UNAM. **Antología de poetas de Tierra Adentro (1997), TELAM Nava. **Varios Autores (1997), ''Historia de Arte de Oaxaca'', tomo lll, Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca. **Miguel Flores (1998), ''Toledo: la línea metafórica'', Ediciones Oro de la Noche/FONCA. **Víctor de la Cruz (1999), ''Guie' sti' diidxazá'', ''La flor de la palabra'', UNAM. **Verónika Bennholdt-Thomsen (2000), ''Juchitán-Mexikos stad der fra un'', Frederking & Thaler, Germany. **Memoria del XII Festival Internacional de Poesía de Medellín (2002), Colombia. **Mónica de la Torre, Michael Wiegers (2002), ''Reversible Monuments: Contemporary Mexican Poetry'',
Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper Canyon Press publishes new collections of poetry by both pop ...
, USA. **
Carlos Montemayor Carlos Montemayor (June 13, 1947 in Parral, Chihuahua – February 28, 2010 in Mexico City) was a Mexican novelist, poet, essayist, literary critic, tenor, political analyst, and promoter of contemporary literature written in indigenous language ...
(2003), ''La voz profunda, antología de literatura mexicana en lenguas indígenas'', Joaquín Mortiz. **Carlos Montemayor y Donald Frischmann (2006), ''Words of the True Peoples. Anthology of Mexican Indigenous-Language Writers'', University of Texas Press.


Prizes

*Premio Nezahualcóyotl de Literatura, 2004.


References


External links

*Interview
Natalia Toledo: dibujar y hacer música con palabras
La Ventana *Poetry on-line

La Jornada Ojarasca 47, March 2001.

La Jornada Semanal, Núm. 378, 2 June 2002. {{DEFAULTSORT:Toledo, Natalia 1968 births Living people Mexican women poets People from Juchitán de Zaragoza Zapotec scholars Zapotec-language writers