Eufrosina Cruz

Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza (born 1 January 1979 in Santa María Quiegolani, Oaxaca) is a Zapotec woman from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. She is an activist for gender equality and the rights of indigenous women and communities. In November 2010 she became the first indigenous woman in Oaxacan politics, assuming the position of deputy of the PAN (Partido Acción Nacional or National Action Party (Mexico)) and president of the board of the local congress. In December of the same year Eufrosina was appointed as coordinator of indigenous affairs of the National Executive Committee of the PAN. She is also the founder and director of the QUIEGO, AC association, which promotes gender equality in Oaxaca.

The starting-point for her fight for gender equality was that she was not permitted to participate in the municipal elections of her home town Santa María Quiegolani, for the single reason that she is a woman. This was a valid reason according to the usos y costumbres (local traditional laws). Because of Eufrosina Cruz’s fight, the constitution was later reformed to give women equal voting rights. On October 3, 2008 Cruz received the National Youth Award for her contribution to political culture, which was presented by President Felipe Calderón.

Eufrosina Cruz comes from a tiny Zapotec village called Santa María Quiegolani in Oaxaca, Mexico, where Zapotec is the native language. Her life was as so many Zapotec women traditionally lived: getting up at 3 o’clock in the morning, gathering fuel, grinding maize, preparing tortillas, watching the children and cleaning the house. Most girls in such villages have little chance to complete grade school and are married at a young age to men chosen by their fathers. At the age of 11, Eufrosina Cruz decided that she didn’t want to live like this and left to study and learn Spanish. She wanted a better future and eventually to help the other women that were discriminated against and marginalized. She graduated from college with a degree in accounting and obtained a job teaching in indigent communities. Here she served as community instructor for education and founded three high schools in indigenous municipalities. After this she returned to her original village with the intention to change the lives of the women there.

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