Otilia Lux de Coti

Otilia (she/her, Maya Quiche) is an Indigenous leader from Santa Cruz del Quiché, Guatemala. She began her career in education and held several positions at the national level in Guatemala such as the Minister of Culture and Sports. From 2001 to 2007, Otilia was Vice President of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and from 2004 to 2007, she served as Guatemala’s Representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO. She was also Commissioner of Guatemala’s Commission for Historical Clarification on the violation of human rights and acts of violence from 1997 to 1999. At Mesa Refuge, Otilia worked on the ancestral knowledge of Indigenous women, their collective rights to land, culture, food, education, health and a dignified life without violence, and the promotion and protection of Indigenous languages.