Elena Poniatowska: A woman of the left

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Continuation of the interview with Laura Itzel Castillo, president of the Senate of the Republic and daughter of engineer Heberto Castillo.

Lázaro Cárdenas was my father's great mentor, Heberto Castillo. He met him through teaching Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas at the School of Engineering, and that led him to participate in the National Liberation Movement (MLN). My mother accompanied my father with the four of us on the engineer's tours. I always tell you something that my father found very funny: we were in a hut, on a tour my father was taking in a pistachio-colored Volkswagen, like for children. I remember it perfectly; we were dozing while my father was in a meeting that had lasted for several hours. My mother counted our little heads, and suddenly she counted three; I was missing. Then she told my brother: "Run and see where Laurita is." "She's packed into the rally next to my father; she really likes politics."

“I sat on my dad's lap. There were several speakers, and I didn't move just to be with him. When I returned to my mom's, she asked me, "What were you doing there? What do you know about that? Let's see, what do you understand?" I replied, "How could I not understand? My dad was talking about underpants," because my dad asserted, "You have to really tuck your underpants in to form committees," because the audience was made up of peasants wearing cotton underpants, sandals, and hats. My dad was a mathematician, an inventor, and he had a way of speaking that connected with people."

–That’s why you’ve been fighting since you were four, Laura.

–It's true, we all have to be very tough to keep working. Heberto Castillo was very controversial, a great orator, and he argued better than anyone. I admired him greatly and believe he gave his life to change Mexico. I think it's important to honor the leftist figures in this country who fought for so long for others, not for themselves. Now that time has passed, Heberto Castillo's children have the privilege of seeing what this change has meant.

–I remember that Manuel Marcué Pardiñas, director of Proceso magazine, was in prison with your father. Heberto always looked after him because he suffered from epileptic seizures. I remember he also had a very close friendship with Armando and Adelita Castillejos.

–Yes, those were the friendships my parents cultivated. In 1967, they were on a MLN tour. There were four of them in the car and they crashed. The impact threw everyone out of the car. Three died, and my dad was the only one who survived. When he was in the hospital, recovering, they also tried to kill him by injecting him with things, but my dad wouldn't let them. "No injections," "Don't touch me."

"My father wouldn't even let them give him anesthesia to stitch up his wounds. My mother and Armando Castillejos managed to report that they were trying to kill him."

–The heroism of your parents must be a formidable legacy for you.

–The truth is that when you're in politics, you also have to be aware that your entire family is in great danger. When you're in the opposition, there's constant pressure on you, especially your family, and that's hard to bear. You go out into the streets thinking you might not come back. Living with persecution makes you stronger.

–It's something you're exposed to when you become a leader of Heberto Castillo's stature, isn't it? Laura, you've witnessed many horrors.

–When involved in political issues, the family can suffer all kinds of repression. When we were children and my father was in prison or in hiding, we were persecuted; a car would park day and night on our street.

“When we lived in Romero de Terreros, in Cerro del Agua, I had some friends on Cerro del Vigilante Street, in Cerro de la Miel. We rode bikes and always saw bodyguards following us; there was surveillance at all hours. We always reported it, and the pursuit never stopped; we were so used to having phones tapped. Even when we went to Cuernavaca, they followed us, but my mom was a great escape artist.”

“During '68, my mother dressed up as a student to visit my father at Ciudad Universitaria. I think we should pay tribute to all those forgotten women who did so much for change in Mexico and for freedom of expression. I am certain that if we now enjoy such great freedom of expression and denunciation, both in the press and in assemblies and meetings, it is because the previous struggle cemented our courage and made us braver. Many Mexicans now have the courage to express and write their ideas, and to accuse the government.”

–There are still many complaints pending.

–My father always said that the struggle to achieve power should be peaceful, not armed; the path should be shared by all of us citizens. For my father, the only way to open the way was through democratic participation.

–Your dad never believed in guns…

–He said that if there was a loophole, we had to go for it. He sought to ensure that everything was done in accordance with the Constitution, because the Magna Carta gives us individual guarantees of freedom of expression and freedom of organization. I think time has proven him right, because it was through a peaceful movement that the left triumphed; after a very long struggle in which the left and the revolutionary nationalism of the people merged.

–Do you feel there was a reason for his imprisonment in Lecumberri? Could it have been achieved without so much hardship?

–There have been many injustices, and they gave rise to movements that have marked national history: the railroad workers' movement with Demetrio Vallejo, and the murder of Jaramillo and his entire family. Vallejo and Jaramillo have been key figures in the struggle for transformation and for the rights of workers, farmers, and students.

–Laura, did you feel you had to follow in your father’s footsteps?

–Since I was a child, I've been interested in politics and the opposition. I became more involved during the Andrés Manuel López Obrador administration; I first worked in Mexico City and then with Claudia Sheinbaum.

“I was a member of Pemex's board of directors; there were five of us independent directors during the López Obrador administration. Now I'm president of the Senate, which is a huge undertaking. I never imagined being in this position; my job has been to champion social causes and the transformation of Mexico. It's been a pleasure for me to see that it's possible, Elenita.”

“Women have helped me. We worked at the Heberto Castillo Martínez Foundation, which my mother headed. We formed a wonderful group with workshops that nourished me greatly. Politics is my passion. Why am I here? Because I love it, because it motivates me. I feel like it's my life.”

"I come from the Self-Government School of Architecture. With grassroots organizations, we developed projects to support the disadvantaged, especially in terms of housing, because it's a fundamental right. Without housing, other rights can't be realized; having a home dignifies a human being."

"Important movements are led by women in defense of their land. I worked at the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing. One of the greatest satisfactions was the delivery of housing during reconstruction, improvement, or new housing processes. You realized how much it meant to the people."

“When I was a delegate in Coyoacán, I really enjoyed going to the neighborhoods, participating in meetings with the people, helping them exercise their rights, and resolving the problems that existed in that area. Through culture, you get to know the people, the nations. That work has been my schooling.”

–Laura Itzel, I am moved to see so many women occupying decision-making positions.

–Yes, Elenita, Claudia Sheinbaum and I have been working together for many years, which is why it's an honor to work with her today, side by side.