Author, Educator. Born in México, Distrito Federal, México, she was raised on her family’s ranch in Comitan, Chiapas. She returned to México, Distrito Federal at the age of 16 to study at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México where she earned her Masters Degree in Philosophy in 1952. After traveling to Europe and to the United States for post graduate studies in aesthetics, she returned to the province of Chiapas to work with Indian theater groups and the Indigenous Institute of San Cristóbal. There she embarked on her lifes work – poetry, writing books, education, and working with the indigenous people of her country. Castellanos was the first woman from the state of Chiapas to become a published author and she and went on to become one of Mexico’s leading feminists. One of her works, “The Book of Lamentations”, was written about the Indians and the way they were treated in Comitan. Her first novel “Balúm Canán” was published in 1957. She won the Chiapas prize for Balún Canán in 1958; the Xavier Villaurritia prize for Ciudad Real in 1961; the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz prize for Oficio de Tinieblas and the Elías Sourasky literary prize in 1972. While serving as Mexican Ambassador to Israel, Castellanos, who also taught classes at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was electrocuted while doing her hair and died in Tel Aviv, Israel. (bio by: Debbie)