An Evening with Natalia Toledo

Poet, Artist, and Daughter of Francisco Toledo

Join us for an intimate evening with Natalia Toledo — Zapotec poet, artist, and textile designer from Juchitán, Oaxaca, México. Natalia carries forward the language and visual world of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the same world that shaped the work of her father, the legendary Oaxacan artist Francisco Toledo.

A celebrated poet and winner of Mexico's most prestigious prize for Indigenous-language literature, Natalia writes in Zapotec, one of Mexico's most ancient living languages, giving voice to a culture, a landscape, and a way of seeing that is entirely her own. Her poetry describes contemporary Isthmus Zapotec life in lush, sensual detail — the flora, the food, the body, the land.

She is also a textile and jewelry designer whose huipil designs reflect the natural world of the Isthmus. Sometimes her own poems are embroidered directly into the cloth — making each piece a wearable work of literature.

The evening includes:

• A poetry reading by Natalia at 6:15 PM
• Conversation about her work, her poetry, and her father, Francisco Toledo
• A taste of her Oaxacan recipes, prepared by Natalia herself
• A mezcal flight
• An opportunity to see Natalia's collection of textiles and jewelry — Ladidoo — available at Heritage by Hand July 10–12

About Carapace Dancer
In Carapace Dancer, Natalia Toledo revisits themes from her award-winning collection The Black Flower and Other Zapotec Poems — describing contemporary Isthmus Zapotec life in lush, sensual detail. Translated from Zapotec and Spanish by Clare Sullivan, with a preface by Esther Allen. Presented by Garcia Street Books.

Date: Friday, July 10, 2026
Time: 5:30–7:30 PM (Reading at 6:15 PM)
Location: Sena Plaza Courtyard, 125 E. Palace Ave #33, Santa Fe, NM
Admission: $40 without book | $60 with a signed copy of Carapace Dancer — both include a mezcal flight and Oaxacan bites

This event takes place during Santa Fe Folk Art Market weekend — one of the most celebrated celebrations of global craft in the world.

Presented by Heritage by Hand in collaboration with La Casa Sena and Garcia Street Books, in celebration of their upcoming opening at Sena Plaza.