Biography of Aurelio Martínez Sevilla
Aurelio was born on August 26, 1986, in the community of San Juan, in the Montaña de la Flor, Municipality of Orica, in the northern part of Francisco Morazán Department. His parents are Lucas Martínez and Benita Gonzales Sevilla, and he is the second of seven siblings. During his childhood and youth, he lived with his parents in humble conditions as they lacked economic resources, like all the inhabitants of Tol town.
He completed his primary education with great effort from 1995 to 2001 at the «Rubén Martínez Rodas» Basic Education Center in San Juan. In parallel, he decided to study a course in his native language and learned to read and write correctly in the Tol language.
At the age of 15, he had to work in agriculture with his father and negotiate the products of the harvest to save money and be able to pay for enrollment at the Technical Institute Oscar A. Flores in the municipality.
In 2010, Aurelio enrolled in the Teacher Training Program in Education, Distance Modality, at the Pedro Nufio Mixed Normal School, which had its headquarters in Montaña de la Flor. Despite his efforts, working in agriculture and other activities to generate small income and reach the final period, he had to abandon his studies because his economic situation prevented him from completing them as planned. However, with nostalgia, he attended the graduation ceremony of his classmates.
Aurelio Martínez has been working as a teacher since 2000. Among his experiences, the following stand out:
- Bilingual Teacher at Rubén Martínez School;
- Director of the Juan Martínez Intercultural Bilingual Education School in the hamlet of Cedrito;
- Promoter Liaison in coordination with the Honduran Social Investment Fund (FHIS);
- Translator of the National Anthem of Honduras into the Tol language;
- Review and validation of Tol language texts for Pre-Basic and First Grade;
- Authored the textbooks for 2nd and 3rd grade in the Tol language;
- Facilitator in the workshop «Learning Our Tol Language»;
- Currently a teacher and director at Edith Maricela Figueroa Kindergarten in the hamlet of Hierva Buena, San Juan Village.
In addition to his work experience, Aurelio Martínez Sevilla is an active teacher and community member, participating as a member of the Board of Directors of Tribu; Association of Indigenous Communities of Montaña de la Flor and Tribu Federation; member of the environmental committee and the local linguistic committee TOLPAN.
Despite his training as a primary school teacher with a focus on Intercultural Bilingual Education, being one of the only three Tol-speaking teachers, he dreams of continuing his university studies in linguistic orientation. His goal is to represent the Tolupan indigenous people of Montaña de la Flor and other communities, to show the children and youth that they too are citizens of Honduras.
