María de Jesús Patricio Martínez (born 23 December 1963), also known as Marichuy, is a traditional medicine healer and human rights activist in Mexico.

[4] María de Jesús Patricio Martínez was born 23 December 1963, in the Nahua community of Tuxpan, located in the present state of Jalisco.

She saw women in her community such as her aunts and grandmothers use these different forms of medicine to treat diseases such as fear, fright, heatwaves and weakness.

[5]  Her reasoning for following this path was because she felt her knowledge and understanding of the ways in which plants can aid the sick would be beneficial to help those in her community who were unable to afford medicine from the government.

[citation needed] Responsible for the Casa de Salud, Maria began the clinic in hopes for tending to her community with both traditional and alternative medicine.

[8] Altering a strategy which has rejected the Mexican state and its electoral politics, the Zapatistas announced in December 2016 their plans to elect a female spokesperson to represent the indigenous community as a presidential candidate.

Although afraid at first to accept her election to participate, Maria joined the campaign in hope to address the problem severely affecting her community.

"[12][13] CNI'S collaboration with Maria developed through a common goal that a new and improved Mexico would emerge as the current version during the election did not favor the working class and the people of communities.

By electing Marichuy to the presential run they hope to make an "indigenous, feminist perspective a part of Mexico’s national presidential debate.

[14] Officially recognized by the National Electoral Institute (INE) on October 15, 2017, Marichuy and the Council have begun collecting the required 866,593 signatures, throughout 17 states, during the subsequent 120 days.

"'[15][16] Marichuy has further stated, "as is the custom in our peoples, surrendering, selling out or giving up is not an option and we will redouble efforts to collect the citizen support required to figure as an independent candidate to the presidency of the Republic on the 2018 electoral ballot.