Camerina

Maria Camerina Maya Becerril was the seventh of ten siblings. She studied tailoring, cutting, and sewing at the Corregidora School in Queretaro, near Garibaldi and Eje Central. She worked in a Jewish-owned factory called Frank Olivier and later at another from the same owners that produced women’s lingerie for clients like Gigante and Liverpool. She married Francisco Mejia and had three daughters—Ivonne, Tanya, and Karina. When I was ten, my parents separated, and my mother took full responsibility for raising us, giving up her personal life to become both provider and caregiver. She worked tirelessly from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on weekends she washed and ironed clothes for one of her bosses’ nephews—a single man who paid her extra for the help. That additional income helped her cover school expenses and keep our home running. In 2005, my mother fell ill and was hospitalized. Doctors removed a tumor that turned out to be cancerous. On January 7, 2006, she became an angel—and we laid her