California Odha Zertuche Díaz
California Odha Zertuche Díaz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1923 Ensenada, Mexico |
| Died | 1991 Ensenada, Mexico |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
| Known for | Forjadora de Baja California Award |
California Odha Zertuche Díaz (1923–1991) was a Mexican civil engineer and is credited as the primary developer of the drinking water and sewerage system in Ensenada, Mexico.
Early life and education
[edit]Zertuche Díaz was born in 1923 in the port city of Ensenada, in the Mexican state of Baja California on the Pacific coast, about 110km (65 miles) south of the country's border with the United States.[1]
She is cited as the first woman to graduate from the UNAM School of Engineering,[2] in 1954, with a thesis titled Project of sewerage of the Ensenada population.[1] She was the 12th woman to earn a civil engineering degree in the country and "probably the first engineer in Ensenada."[3] She was a founding teacher at the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC), created in 1957, and its School of Marine Sciences, founded in 1960.
Career
[edit]Zertuche Díaz worked in the Secretariat of Hydraulic Resources[4] where she became the main developer for the installation of Ensenada's water infrastructure. The city's historical water management challenge was complex because there are no rivers in the municipality. Its main supply comes from groundwater from the Maneadero Valley and when it rains very hard the contours of the land cause some streams to form. The municipality has four bodies of water, which contribute to the drinking water: the Hidden Lagoon, the Emilio López Zamora Dam fed by the Valle Verde stream, the Hanson lagoon, located within the Constitution Park of 1857 and La Lagunita, north of the Ciprés military air base.
In later years, Zertuche Díaz donated property and land for the Sports City and different university schools, in conjunction with Marcos Mario Díaz Zertuche and Lorenzo Cárdenas Zertuche.[5][6] She also founded the Association of Women Professionals of Baja California as well as the Red Cross in Ensenada.[4][7]
California Odha Zertuche Díaz died in 1991 in Ensenada.[1]
Honors
[edit]On International Women's Day in 2014, Zertuche Díaz received the award "Forjadora de Baja California" ("Forger of Baja California") because her work “allowed the development of the drinking water and sewerage network in the city” of Ensenada.[8] At the same ceremony, Antonia Brenner from Tijuana, María Concepción López Vargas from Tecate, María Luisa Chabert Uriarte from Playas de Rosarito and Gloria Rosado Cásares from Mexicali all received the same tribute for their work in their respective region. For each woman, a portrait and a small biography are displayed on a wall of the la Sala de Mujeres Forjadoras room in the Legislative Power building of the State Congress.[2][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Crítica, La (2018-06-22). "6 pioneras de la ingeniería en México". La Crítica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ a b UniMexicali. "Designan a forjadoras de BC, entre ellas a la Madre Antonia". UniMexicali.com. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ Vector (2019-07-09). "La primera ingeniera mexicana, fue Ingeniera Civil". Revista Vector (in Mexican Spanish). Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ a b c "Cinco mujeres homenajeadas en el Congreso de BC". ZETA - Libre como el viento (in Spanish). 8 March 2014. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ "Obras y mega proyectos a medias en Ensenada". Semanario ZETA (in Mexican Spanish). 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "Demanda de servicios supera capacidad del IMSS". Semanario ZETA (in Mexican Spanish). 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ "California Odha, pionera de la ingeniería en México y maestra fundadora de la UABC". CMPIC (in Mexican Spanish). 2019-05-23. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
- ^ Palacio de Minería (2022-03-09). CALIFONIA ODA ZERTUCHE/HECHO EN MINERÍA/PALACIO DE MINERÍA. Retrieved 2024-06-08 – via YouTube.
- 1923 births
- 1991 deaths
- People from Baja California
- People from Ensenada, Baja California
- Mexican civil engineers
- Mexican civil servants
- 20th-century Mexican educators
- Mexican women educators
- National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
- 20th-century women civil servants
- Mexican women engineers
- 20th-century women engineers