Ifigenia Martínez y Hernández | |
|---|---|
 Martínez in 2022 | |
| President of the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico | |
| In office 1 September 2024 – 5 October 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Marcela Guerra Castillo |
| Succeeded by | Sergio Gutiérrez Luna |
| Member of theChamber of Deputies | |
| In office 1 September 2024 – 5 October 2024 | |
| Succeeded by | Guadalupe Morales Rubio |
| Constituency | Fourth electoral region |
| In office 1 September 2009 – 31 August 2012 | |
| Constituency | Fourth electoral region |
| In office 1 November 1994 – 31 August 1997 | |
| Constituency | Fourth electoral region |
| In office 1 September 1976 – 31 August 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Arturo González Cosío Díaz |
| Succeeded by | Enrique González Flores |
| Constituency | Federal District's22nd district |
| Senator of the Republic | |
| In office 1 September 2018 – 31 August 2024 | |
| Constituency | Proportional representation |
| In office 1 September 1988 – 31 October 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Abraham Martínez Rivero |
| Succeeded by | Luz Lajous Vargas |
| Constituency | Federal District |
| Member of the Constituent Assembly of Mexico City | |
| In office 15 September 2016 – 31 January 2017 | |
| Constituency | Proportional representation |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1925-06-16)16 June 1925[1] Mexico City, Mexico |
| Died | 5 October 2024(2024-10-05) (aged 99) Mexico City, Mexico |
| Party | Morena (2018–2024) |
| Other political affiliations | Party of the Democratic Revolution (1989–2018) Institutional Revolutionary Party (1966–1988) |
| Education | National Autonomous University of Mexico (BEc) Harvard University (MEc,PhD) |
| Occupation |
|
Ifigenia Martha Martínez y Hernández (16 June 1925 – 5 October 2024) was a Mexican economist, diplomat, and politician who served as thepresident of the Chamber of Deputies in 2024.[2]
Martínez earned her undergraduate degree in economics from theNational Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and later obtained a master's in economics fromHarvard University. In 1966, she became the first woman to lead UNAM's Faculty of Economics, serving in this capacity until 1970.[3][4]
Throughout her career, Martínez was associated with various left-wing movements, including the progressive wing of theInstitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), theParty of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), and theNational Regeneration Movement (Morena). She co-founded the PRD alongsideCuauhtémoc Cárdenas andPorfirio Muñoz Ledo. Martínez held numerous public offices, serving as a federal deputy in1976,1994,2009, and2024, and as a senator in1988 and2018.[5][6]
Martínez was born on 16 June 1925.[1] She studied economics at theNational Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), earning her undergraduate degree in 1946.[3]
Martínez, along with her future husband Alfredo Navarrete Romero, moved toBoston, United States, where they both pursued studies atHarvard University. Martínez completed amaster's degree in economics in 1949, becoming the first Mexican woman to earn this degree from Harvard.[4]
She became a professor of Public Finance at UNAM and taught at the Center for Latin American Monetary Studies (CEMLA) from 1957 to 1962. In 1960, she was appointed as a researcher at UNAM's Institute for Economic Research, and in 1967, she made history as the first woman to serve as director of UNAM's National School of Economics.[3][7][8]
Martínez co-founded theUnited Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in 1950.[9]
Martínez made her initial entry into public office in 1953 when she was invited by Carlos Salinas Lozano to serve as the Head of the Office of Economic Studies. She resigned from this position three years later, following her outspoken criticism of the administration's economic policies, which caused discomfort within theBank of Mexico.[10][5]
In 1958, Martínez returned to federal public administration as an advisor to theSecretary of Public Education,Jaime Torres Bodet.[10] She played a key role in analyzing the feasibility of the Eleven-Year Plan, Mexico's first attempt at long-term educational planning. Although the plan was not fully realized, it resulted in significant initiatives, including the provision of free textbooks and the establishment of a school breakfast program.[5][11]
From 1961 to 1970, she served as the Chief Advisor to theSecretary of Finance,Antonio Ortiz Mena.[10]
During theMexican Movement of 1968, when the military occupiedCiudad Universitaria, Martínez was a vocal critic of the government's actions, staunchly defending the university's autonomy, which ultimately led to her arrest.[8][9][12]
In1976, Martínez secured her first popularly elected office as a federal deputy in theL Legislature, representing theInstitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). She chaired the Budget Committee and made history by leading a group of progressive lawmakers in opposing presidential initiatives—an unprecedented move in Mexican politics at the time.[5]
Martínez was appointed as the deputy ambassador to theUnited Nations in New York, serving underPorfirio Muñoz Ledo. In 1982, she joined the Advisory Commission on Foreign Policy at the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs.[5]
AlongsideCuauhtémoc Cárdenas andPorfirio Muñoz Ledo, she co-founded the Democratic Current, apolitical faction within theInstitutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), to pressure the party's leadership to address national debt issues and resist technocratization.[13] After the PRI choseCarlos Salinas de Gortari as the party's presidential candidate, she and a group of progressive PRI members resigned to support Cárdenas' presidential candidacy, forming theNational Democratic Front.[14] Following the1988 presidential election, Martínez became one of the key founding members of theParty of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).[13]
In1988, she made history as the first senator elected from the Federal District representing an opposition party. During theLIV Legislature, she was elected as Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Senate.[6]
In1994, she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies by proportional representation, where she served as the economic coordinator of the PRD parliamentary group.[10]
She worked as an economic advisor to Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, the first electedHead of Government of the Federal District.[10]
In 2000, she sought the nomination from the PRD for the position of Head of Government of the Federal District. However, she ultimately withdrew her candidacy and endorsedAndrés Manuel López Obrador, who successfully won the election.[6][10]
Between the founding of the PRD and 2002, Martínez held various significant leadership roles within the party, particularly in its National Executive Committee, including Secretary of Finance and Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs.[10]
Martínez was a member of the political coordination of theBroad Progressive Front legislative bloc.[15] In 2008, during PresidentFelipe Calderón's efforts to privatizePemex, Martínez emerged as a prominent critic, forming part inLópez Obrador's National Movement in Defense of Oil.[5]
She was one of several PRD members who aligned with theLabor Party (PT) for the2009 elections, following a schism within the PRD that saw López Obrador's allies sidelined by party leaderJesús Ortega.[16] Through proportional representation, she secured a seat in theChamber of Deputies, returning to the chamber. Although the PRD leadership expelled her due to her affiliation with another party during an election, Martínez sought reaffiliation shortly after the election, arguing that both the PRD and PT shared common progressive goals.[17]
Martínez was a key advocate for the political reform of the Federal District and, in 2016, she was elected as a deputy to theConstituent Assembly of Mexico City.[5][18] The drafted constitution was approved in early 2017.[19]
During the2018 general election, Martínez advocated for a grand leftist alliance that would include theNational Regeneration Movement (Morena), theLabor Party (PT),Citizens' Movement (MC), and theParty of the Democratic Revolution (PRD).[20] However, this coalition did not materialize, as the PRD and MC ultimately formedan alliance with theNational Action Party (PAN). In response, she endorsedLópez Obrador's third presidential candidacy and was placed on Morena's proportional representation list for the Senate as an external candidate.[21][22] Just days before the election, Martínez resigned from the PRD, citing the party's alliance with the PAN and its shift toward conservative values.[22]
Martínez held the presidency of the Board of Deans—a position she held due to her seniority—three times, in 2009, 2018 and 2024.[23][24][25] Notably, during theLXI Legislature in 2009, she became the first leftist woman to oversee the swearing-in of deputies.[25]
.jpg)
In 2024, Martínez was elected to the Chamber of Deputies through proportional representation, representing thefourth electoral region. At the start of theLXVI Legislature, she was electedPresident of the Chamber of Deputies.[24]
Visibly frail, she presided over the inauguration ofClaudia Sheinbaum asPresident of Mexico on 1 October 2024, during which she officially handed Sheinbaum the presidential sash.[2][8]
Days after the presidential swearing-in ceremony, Martínez died on 5 October 2024, at the age of 99.[1]
On 7 October 2024, her body lay in state at theLegislative Palace of San Lázaro.[25][26] Her alternate,Guadalupe Morales Rubio, took up her seat on 14 October.[27]
Mexico:Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor (7 October 2021)[28]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
