Minerva Mena

She was the daughter of Jesús Mena Gutiérrez and Felisa Peña Martínez, who formed the musical comedy duo Mena-Peña, performing zarzuela and operetta.

Her brothers, Raúl Rubén, a director and choreographer closely associated with musical revues, and Jesús Daniel, a set designer and visual artist, were very involved in the theatrical scene of Monterrey and collaborated on several projects together, but they never formalized a theater company.

Her parents set up a variety tent called "Carpa México," located on Calzada Madero in the city of Monterrey, which burned down a couple of times.

After these financial setbacks, they decided to leave the business and seek a stable income as announcers and commercial singers on local radio to provide a better education for their children.

At the age of 16, she was invited to assist in the staging of a musical revue at the then-University of Nuevo León, where she was in charge of choreographing, as the production was purely student-driven.

However, Minerva Peña rejected this offer, as well as others made by important figures in the theater scene in Mexico City, such as Manolo Fábregas and Rafael Banquells.

She had a role in the first Mexican soap opera, "Agonía de amar" (The Agony of Loving), produced in Monterrey, where she shared credits with Susana Alexander.

She was the founding teacher of the School of Performing Arts at the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, where she worked as a lecturer in the specialization of Biomechanics and Corporal Expression until her retirement in 1996.

Minerva Mena Peña has received numerous posthumous tributes from civil, cultural, and educational authorities in the state of Nuevo León.

Public Recognition for Civic Merit, Presea Estado de Nuevo León, 1990 (Theater category) UANL Arts Award, 1991 (As an actress).