I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico. I spent my first years of life in Xoxocotlán, a municipality south of Oaxaca City, in a house belonging to my paternal grandparents. I spent very happy moments there. The house was big and my cousins, brothers, and I played there freely. We were surrounded by nature – many trees and plants – and of course, animals.

My grandparents raised chickens, hens, and goats. There were cats and dogs. I remember from an early age watching my grandmother care for her pets.

It was she who gave my sister and me our first pets. She instilled in us care and respect for other living beings.