Ifigenia Martha Martínez y Hernández (16 June 1925 – 5 October 2024) was a Mexican economist, diplomat, and politician who served as the president of the Chamber of Deputies in 2024.

[3] Martínez, along with her future husband Alfredo Navarrete Romero, moved to Boston, United States, where they both pursued studies at Harvard University.

She resigned from this position three years later, following her outspoken criticism of the administration's economic policies, which caused discomfort within the Bank of Mexico.

Although the plan was not fully realized, it resulted in significant initiatives, including the provision of free textbooks and the establishment of a school breakfast program.

[10] During the Mexican Movement of 1968, when the military occupied Ciudad Universitaria, Martínez was a vocal critic of the government's actions, staunchly defending the university's autonomy, which ultimately led to her arrest.

[8][9][12] In 1976, Martínez secured her first popularly elected office as a federal deputy in the L Legislature, representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

She chaired the Budget Committee and made history by leading a group of progressive lawmakers in opposing presidential initiatives—an unprecedented move in Mexican politics at the time.

[15] In 2008, during President Felipe Calderón's efforts to privatize Pemex, Martínez emerged as a prominent critic, forming part in López Obrador's National Movement in Defense of Oil.

[17] Martínez was a key advocate for the political reform of the Federal District and, in 2016, she was elected as a deputy to the Constituent Assembly of Mexico City.

In response, she endorsed López Obrador's third presidential candidacy and was placed on Morena's proportional representation list for the Senate as an external candidate.

[21][22] Just days before the election, Martínez resigned from the PRD, citing the party's alliance with the PAN and its shift toward conservative values.