On October 5th, just four days after the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum as president of Mexico, Ifigenia Martinez, the Speaker of the House, who presided over the inauguration ceremony, passed away at the age of 94.
Ifigenia Martinez was a Mexican politician, diplomat and academic who was head of the school of Economics at UNAM, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, from 1966 to 1970. During the political unrest of 1968, she defended her school when the Mexican Army took control of parts of the UNAM.
Regarding political party affiliation, Ifigenia started out in the PRI, was one of the founders of the PRD, and wound up in MORENA. She served at various times in both chambers of the Mexican Congress.
In the election of June 2nd, Claudia Sheinbaum, apparently quite confident in her own impending triumph, voted for Ifigenia Martinez for President, as a tribute.
When the new Congress took over on September 1st, Ifigenia Martinez became the Presidenta de la Cámara de Diputados, equivalent of Speaker of the House in the U.S. Congress.
At Claudia Sheinbaum’s inauguration on October 1st, Ifigenia Martinez presided, from her position between outgoing president AMLO and incoming president Sheinbaum.
(Video here).
Ifigenia read the official act preceding Sheinbaum’s oath of office. Here is a photo of Ifigenia Martinez (in red) seated to the left of Claudia Sheinbaum as Sheinbaum takes the oath.
After the oath, Martinez announced Sheinbaum’s speech.
I noticed that Ifigenia pronounced Sheinbaum as I do, “Shainbaum”, not “Shaynbaum” as I hear in the Mexican media. Ifigenia introduced the new president’s speech and was also involved in the passing of the presidential sash from AMLO to Sheinbaum.
She appeared frail at the ceremony. She was on oxygen and had to be assisted sitting down. But she performed these duties and passed away four days later.
My condolences to the family of Ifigenia Martinez.
ABOUT THE NAME IFIGENIA
The name Ifigenia, Iphigenia in English, is a rare one.
It’s of Greek origin (Ἰφιγένεια), meaning “strong-born”.
It was the name of a tragic figure in Greek mythology, the princess of Mycenae who was sacrificed by her father Agamemnon.
There is also a Catholic saint by the same name, Ifighenia of Ethiopia, with the feast day of September 21st.