MexicanGreat Women Antonieta Rivas Mercado Key player in the group of artists and intellectuals that revitalized Mexican culture after the Revolutionary period, the political activist and women’s rights’ defender during the 20th century - daughter of architect Antonio Rivas Mercado, creator of the Angel of Independence - stands out for her actions on developing culture in Mexico, including the creation of Ulises Theater and the Symphonic Orchestra of Mexico. She also edited books written by great Mexican pens such as Xavier Villaurrutia, Gilberto Owen and Andrés Henestrosa. Rosario Castellanos Born in Chiapas in 1925, she is considered one of the greatest writers and poetesses in Mexico and the Spanish language. She worked in the National Indigenous Institute in Chiapas and in Mexico City, looking to improve the living conditions of indigenous people and women in her country. She taught literature and philosophy at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Iberoamericana University and the Universities of Wisconsin, Colorado and Indiana in the United States. Her novel Balún Canán (1957), her poems in Lívida Luz (Livid Light, 1960) and her essays in Mujer que sabe latín (Woman who knows Latin, 1974), are considered key works in Mexican literature. Silvia Torres Castilleja Recognized scientist who was the first Mexican woman to obtain a PhD in Astronomy. Like Stephen Hawking, Nicholas Copernicus, Giordano Bruno and Johannes Kepler, Silvia Torres Castilla has made great contributions to astronomy; specifically in the study of the chemical composition of the Universe’s nebulae. During her career she has been appointed as president of the International Astronomical Union, as well as receiving several awards such as the L’Oréal-UNESCO Life Sciences Award, the Guillaume Budé Medal of the College of France and Mexico’s National Science and Arts Prize..