She is a Zapotec woman originally from Santa María Quiegolani, a municipality in the southern highlands of the state of Oaxaca.
In 2007, from her hometown, she began a fight for the full recognition of women’s political rights after being denied the opportunity to run for municipal president under the local usos y costumbres (customary law) system, simply because she was a woman.

Her continued efforts led her to become the first female President of the Congress of Oaxaca.

Eufrosina Cruz holds a degree in Public Accounting from the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca and a Master’s in Political Science from the Popular Autonomous University of the State of Puebla.

From 2012 to 2015, she served as a federal deputy and chaired the Commission of Indigenous Peoples, where she made history by successfully amending the Constitution. Article 2 now recognizes the right of Indigenous women in Mexico to active and passive suffrage, as well as access to and participation in public office and elected positions.

Her path has ranged from teaching in rural classrooms as a community instructor to raising her voice on major stages alongside figures such as Michelle Obama and Malala Yousafzai.

Nationally, she has been recognized with:

  • The National Youth Award in 2007.
  • Inclusion among the “50 people moving Mexico” by CNN Expansión.
  • The “Commitment to Others” award by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy.
  • Recognition as one of Mexico’s 300 most influential leaders.
  • Inclusion twice in Forbes Mexico’s list of the 100 most powerful women in the country (2016 and 2022).

Internationally:

  • She represented Mexico at the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
  • The UN recognized her as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.
  • She has been a speaker at the International Woman True North Forum and the Women’s Forum Mexico.
  • On October 10, 2022, she received the A Life for Freedom award from Grupo Salinas and Caminos de la Libertad, becoming the first Mexican to receive this honor.
  • In 2023, she received the Icon Award at the Decididas Summit, a forum for women in leadership that brought together participants from over 10 countries.
  • She participated in the Festival de las Ideas, an annual event featuring the world’s most brilliant and creative minds.
  • On June 6, 2023, she received the Corazón Award as one of the most innovative leaders in the Americas, during the 40th anniversary of Hispanics in Philanthropy in Los Angeles, California.
  • On March 26, 2025, she was recognized as one of the 100 most outstanding female leaders in Mexico by Líderes de México magazine.
  • On March 27, 2025, she was honored at the Summit of the 200 Most Important Women in Mexico by Mundo Ejecutivo.
  • On March 31, 2025, she received the Actions that Transform award from the Women Economic Forum (WEF).

Her story has been told in the following films:

  • La revolución de los alcatraces
  • Hecho en México
  • Las Sufragistas
  • La Historia Invisible

As well as in the following books:

  • Alas de maguey, by journalist Ana Gómez Rodulfo.
  • Diez rostros de movilidad social en México, by Dr. Amparo Espinosa.
  • Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo – including the edition 25 Stories of the Most Powerful Women in the World.
  • She is also the author of Los sueños de la niña de la montaña (The Dreams of the Mountain Girl), one of the best-selling books nationally and internationally.

Since 2023, she has been a member of the Advisory Council of the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) and of the Editorial Board of Heraldo Media Group.

She currently serves as a federal deputy in the 65th legislature, where she successfully pushed for further reforms to the Federal Penal Code to criminalize child and forced marriages.

In April 2025, after 17 years of tireless work, she launched the Eufrosina Foundation, a space that advocates for social development and the eradication of child marriage in Mexico.

She is an activist and national and international speaker who inspires with her story and her work to build a better world for women and Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities.