Born: 1982, Mexico
Died: NA
Country most active: Mexico
Also known as: Adriana del Carmen López Sántiz
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Adriana del Carmen López Sántiz is a Tseltal poet from the community of Chanam del Carmen in Ocosingo, Chiapas. When she was 12 years old, Ms. Lopez Sántiz was inspired by the works of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. However, it was not until she was about 23 years old that she began to write poems in Tseltal. Ms. Lopez Sántiz had grown up speaking the Mayan language, but she had never formally learned to write it. Her work explores collective Tseltal spirituality and tradition, as well as her own family relationships. One series of her poems—which focuses on the metaphors, the joy, the heat of the heart, highlights the nearly infinite spiritual meanings of the heart for the Tseltal people. Ms. Lopez Sántiz’ work is published in several books and anthologies, such as “Flor de siete pétalos,” “Ma’yuk sti’ilal xch’inch’unel k’inal—Silencio sin fronteras,” “Jalbil k’opetik—Palabras Tejidas,” and “Naetik—Hilos.” Her husband is fellow writer Manuel Bolom Pale.