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María Herrera Magdaleno

b. 1950

Mexican human rights activist

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About María Herrera Magdaleno

Born 1950. María Herrera Magdaleno is a Mexican human rights defender.

María Herrera Magdaleno, also known as Doña Mary, is a Mexican businesswoman and human rights activist. In 2014, she founded a national network of local collectives to educate families on how to investigate disappearances after four of her eight children went missing. The network now includes almost 200 groups spread across 26 of Mexico's states.

Life Herrera is from Michoacán and is the mother of eight children and grandmother of two stepchildren. She was born . By 2008, she had founded a business after leaving a husband whom she suspected had been unfaithful. Herrera made clothes and sold gold jewelry, at first in her home state of Michoacán.

In 2014, Herrera founded a national network of local collectives to educate families on how to investigate disappearances. In November 2022, Herrera sued the Mexican State in the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in Washington, for its failure to investigate her sons' disappearance . In April 2023, she was included on the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world for her activism.

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Important facts

Born
1950, Pajacuarán
Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
María Herrera

People in María Herrera Magdaleno's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped María Herrera Magdaleno's

Frequently asked questions

Who is María Herrera Magdaleno?

Mexican human rights activist

When was María Herrera Magdaleno born?

María Herrera Magdaleno was born in 1950 in Pajacuarán.

What is María Herrera Magdaleno's occupation?

María Herrera Magdaleno is a human rights defender.

What nationality is María Herrera Magdaleno?

María Herrera Magdaleno is Mexican.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: María Herrera Magdaleno

· Wikidata: Q117688392

· DBpedia: María Herrera Magdaleno

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). María Herrera Magdaleno. https://biography.guide/maria-herrera-magdaleno/

MLA: "María Herrera Magdaleno." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/maria-herrera-magdaleno/.

Chicago: "María Herrera Magdaleno." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/maria-herrera-magdaleno/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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