Alejandro Cruz Martinez

Alejandro Martinez was a promising young Zapotec poet who spent many years collecting the oral traditions of his people, including the story of Lucia Zeneno. He published his own version of the story as a poem in 1986. Alejandro was killed in 1987 while organizing the Zapotec to regain their lost water rights.

Fernando Olivera is an internationally acclaimed painter who lives in Oaxaca, Mexico. He was fascinated with the story of Lucia Zenteno ever since he first heard it from his close friend Alejandro Cruz Martinez. His work has been shown internationally, in places like Mexico, El Salvador, and the US. His work is influenced by traditional Oaxacan ways of life, myths and legends, and political and social concerns.