This archive report was first published on 7 September 2019.
Published on September 7, 2019, Francisco Toledo's life was a testament to his passion for art and philanthropy. As a renowned Mexican artist, he spent his mornings in his studio, creating masterpieces that would sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
However, Toledo's wealth did not change his humble nature. He continued to live in an adobe house, wearing the traditional attire of Oaxacan campesinos, and spent his afternoons meeting with local people to support their civic projects.
One of his notable campaigns was against the Oaxaca municipal government's plan to sell a 17th-century convent to a hotel chain. Toledo got permission to paint 'for sale' signs on the city's churches, sparking an outcry that led the government to abandon the project.
He also saved a 30-acre former orchard from being turned into a luxury hotel and parking lot, instead transforming it into a botanical garden showcasing the native flora of Oaxaca.
Francisco Toledo is survived by his third wife, Trine Ellitsgaard, and their five children, including Jerónimo López Ramírez, a renowned tattoo artist, and Natalia Toledo Paz, Mexico's undersecretary of cultural diversity.
As Toledo once said in a 1996 interview with Town & Country magazine, 'If I don’t sell more art, there won’t be any new projects.'
Elda Cantú contributed reporting.
