BIO
Dora Esquibel was born on April 11, 1937, in Sabinoso, New Mexico, thirty miles East of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Her father, Pedro Garcia, was also born in Sabinoso, to a family of Apache ancestry. Her mother, Dometilia Madrid Garcia, was born in La Cinta, New Mexico and was of Spanish and Navajo ancestry.
Born during the Great Depression, Dora remembered the powerful impact of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which President Franklin D. Roosevelt created to give employment opportunities to people. From a young age, she followed Roosevelt’s administration, because he developed important, equitable, supportive service programs, such as Welfare and Social Security. President Roosevelt was a powerful and influential figure in Dora’s lifelong commitment to human rights and political activism.
María Isidorita “Dora” Esquibel, Ixpanhueyotzin, was born April 11, 1937 and passed away on May 7, 2013.