An Evening with Natalia Toledo at the Sena Plaza Courtyard

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

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.

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. You can use the RSVP link to purchase tickets or click here. If you purchase a ticket with a book copy, it will be reserved for pick up at the event from Garcia Street Books. You can also buy the book before hand at Garcia Street Books. Copies will be on sale at the event as well.

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 recipe

• A guided mezcal tasting with a flight of three types of mezcal. Non-alcoholic beverages available as well

• An opportunity to see Natalia's collection of textiles and jewelry — Ladidoo — available at Heritage by Hand July 10–12

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

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.