Biography

Mexican teacher and botanist. María Villarreal de Puga entered the field of botany late in life but collected a large amount in Mexico and abroad and was involved in many Mexican science and women's rights associations. She was born in Mexico City to a modest family and attended the Colegio de las Vizcaínas in her native city, from which she graduated as a teacher in the 1930s. Due to a scarcity of work in her chosen field she became a secretary, first for a local political candidate and later for a printing company. In 1942 Villarreal married Felipe Gonzalez Ordorica and in 1954 they had a daughter, the marriage, however, did not last and the two separated. In 1959 she would remarry, this time to the engineer Luis Puig Robles Gil and together they moved to Guadalajara. In this new city Villarreal was soon offered a job as a home economics teacher at the Women's University of Guadalajara (1964).

At this point, in her late 40s, Villarreal’s botanic career began due to a friendship with her teacher Irene Baeza de Puga. Taking a course in biology at the Nueva Galicia school she soon began teaching zoology and botany at the University of Guadalajara (1964-1972). Following this she was named lecturer at the School of Agriculture where she taught general and systematic botany and simultaneously taught biological sciences in the Normal Superior college. In 1984 she retired from the teaching profession.

Having entered the Botanic Society of Jalisco, Villarreal assisted at the First Mexican Botanic Congress where she was introduced to many influential botanists. A founding member of the Jalisco Natural Sciences Society in 1961 she was also involved with the Guadalajara Orchidological Society, the Cactus and Succulents Society, the Mexican Entomological Society and the Mycological Society. Between 1969 and 1971 she was the local president of the Women's Christian Association of Guadalajara and was the national president of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

Villarreal became Secretary of the University of Guadalajara’s Institute of Botany and in 1960 she began to collect plants with the aim of creating a herbarium at this institution. She organised supplies and the building of cabinets to house her collections and the herbarium is now an important centre for specimens from western Mexico. Her collections come from all over the country and abroad, she undertook excursions in Europe (1971), Panama, Chile and Colombia (1972), Ecuador and the Galapagos (1979) and three separate trips to Cuba. In total Villarreal collected some 17,000 specimens, most of which were Leguminosae, Compositae or Graminae or species from coastal areas. She published works on the topics of medicinal plants, parasites of grasses and Compositae, the history of Mexican herbaria and some regional floras. In the field of conservation Villarreal studied the grass species Zea diploperennis which became the main motivation for the creation of the biosphere reserve Sierra de Manantlán in 1987. 20 species have been named in her honour and the University of Guadalajara made her a doctor Honoris Causa.

Sources:
Anon, 2003, "XXV Ceremonia de reconocimiento y estimulo a estudiantes sobresalientes: Luz Maria Villarreal de Puga", Universidad de Guadalajara: http://www.estudiantes.udg.mx/apoyos/CREES/xxv.htm
Carvajal, S., González Tamayo, R. and Miranda Núñez, A. P., 2004, Luz María Villarreal de Puga: Apuntes para una biografía.

Biography

Mexican teacher and botanist. María Villarreal de Puga entered the field of botany late in life but collected a large amount in Mexico and abroad and was involved in many Mexican science and women's rights associations. She was born in Mexico City to a modest family and attended the Colegio de las Vizcaínas in her native city, from which she graduated as a teacher in the 1930s. Due to a scarcity of work in her chosen field she became a secretary, first for a local political candidate and later for a printing company. In 1942 Villarreal married Felipe Gonzalez Ordorica and in 1954 they had a daughter, the marriage, however, did not last and the two separated. In 1959 she would remarry, this time to the engineer Luis Puig Robles Gil and together they moved to Guadalajara. In this new city Villarreal was soon offered a job as a home economics teacher at the Women's University of Guadalajara (1964).

At this point, in her late 40s, Villarreal’s botanic career began due to a friendship with her teacher Irene Baeza de Puga. Taking a course in biology at the Nueva Galicia school she soon began teaching zoology and botany at the University of Guadalajara (1964-1972). Following this she was named lecturer at the School of Agriculture where she taught general and systematic botany and simultaneously taught biological sciences in the Normal Superior college. In 1984 she retired from the teaching profession.

Having entered the Botanic Society of Jalisco, Villarreal assisted at the First Mexican Botanic Congress where she was introduced to many influential botanists. A founding member of the Jalisco Natural Sciences Society in 1961 she was also involved with the Guadalajara Orchidological Society, the Cactus and Succulents Society, the Mexican Entomological Society and the Mycological Society. Between 1969 and 1971 she was the local president of the Women's Christian Association of Guadalajara and was the national president of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

Villarreal became Secretary of the University of Guadalajara’s Institute of Botany and in 1960 she began to collect plants with the aim of creating a herbarium at this institution. She organised supplies and the building of cabinets to house her collections and the herbarium is now an important centre for specimens from western Mexico. Her collections come from all over the country and abroad, she undertook excursions in Europe (1971), Panama, Chile and Colombia (1972), Ecuador and the Galapagos (1979) and three separate trips to Cuba. In total Villarreal collected some 17,000 specimens, most of which were Leguminosae, Compositae or Graminae or species from coastal areas. She published works on the topics of medicinal plants, parasites of grasses and Compositae, the history of Mexican herbaria and some regional floras. In the field of conservation Villarreal studied the grass species Zea diploperennis which became the main motivation for the creation of the biosphere reserve Sierra de Manantlán in 1987. 20 species have been named in her honour and the University of Guadalajara made her a doctor Honoris Causa.

Sources:
Anon, 2003, "XXV Ceremonia de reconocimiento y estimulo a estudiantes sobresalientes: Luz Maria Villarreal de Puga", Universidad de Guadalajara: http://www.estudiantes.udg.mx/apoyos/CREES/xxv.htm
Carvajal, S., González Tamayo, R. and Miranda Núñez, A. P., 2004, Luz María Villarreal de Puga: Apuntes para una biografía.

Biography

Mexican teacher and botanist. María Villarreal de Puga entered the field of botany late in life but collected a large amount in Mexico and abroad and was involved in many Mexican science and women's rights associations. She was born in Mexico City to a modest family and attended the Colegio de las Vizcaínas in her native city, from which she graduated as a teacher in the 1930s. Due to a scarcity of work in her chosen field she became a secretary, first for a local political candidate and later for a printing company. In 1942 Villarreal married Felipe Gonzalez Ordorica and in 1954 they had a daughter, the marriage, however, did not last and the two separated. In 1959 she would remarry, this time to the engineer Luis Puig Robles Gil and together they moved to Guadalajara. In this new city Villarreal was soon offered a job as a home economics teacher at the Women's University of Guadalajara (1964).

At this point, in her late 40s, Villarreal’s botanic career began due to a friendship with her teacher Irene Baeza de Puga. Taking a course in biology at the Nueva Galicia school she soon began teaching zoology and botany at the University of Guadalajara (1964-1972). Following this she was named lecturer at the School of Agriculture where she taught general and systematic botany and simultaneously taught biological sciences in the Normal Superior college. In 1984 she retired from the teaching profession.

Having entered the Botanic Society of Jalisco, Villarreal assisted at the First Mexican Botanic Congress where she was introduced to many influential botanists. A founding member of the Jalisco Natural Sciences Society in 1961 she was also involved with the Guadalajara Orchidological Society, the Cactus and Succulents Society, the Mexican Entomological Society and the Mycological Society. Between 1969 and 1971 she was the local president of the Women's Christian Association of Guadalajara and was the national president of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

Villarreal became Secretary of the University of Guadalajara’s Institute of Botany and in 1960 she began to collect plants with the aim of creating a herbarium at this institution. She organised supplies and the building of cabinets to house her collections and the herbarium is now an important centre for specimens from western Mexico. Her collections come from all over the country and abroad, she undertook excursions in Europe (1971), Panama, Chile and Colombia (1972), Ecuador and the Galapagos (1979) and three separate trips to Cuba. In total Villarreal collected some 17,000 specimens, most of which were Leguminosae, Compositae or Graminae or species from coastal areas. She published works on the topics of medicinal plants, parasites of grasses and Compositae, the history of Mexican herbaria and some regional floras. In the field of conservation Villarreal studied the grass species Zea diploperennis which became the main motivation for the creation of the biosphere reserve Sierra de Manantlán in 1987. 20 species have been named in her honour and the University of Guadalajara made her a doctor Honoris Causa.

Sources:
Anon, 2003, "XXV Ceremonia de reconocimiento y estimulo a estudiantes sobresalientes: Luz Maria Villarreal de Puga", Universidad de Guadalajara: http://www.estudiantes.udg.mx/apoyos/CREES/xxv.htm
Carvajal, S., González Tamayo, R. and Miranda Núñez, A. P., 2004, Luz María Villarreal de Puga: Apuntes para una biografía.