Mardonio Carballo is a Mexican multidisciplinary artist. His career has spanned acting, journalism and writing. His poetry, written in Nahuatl and Spanish, has been translated into French and English. His most recent books are Chén che re, un libro habitado por el polen and Ni Xochitl Ni Kuikatl: la Canción de las Flores. Considered to be one of the greatest defenders of Mexican indigenous languages and cultures, his documentary series have received multiple awards in Mexico. The Universidad Veracruzana, one of the most important universities in the country, awarded him its Medal of Merit in 2018. The musical composition Canta la piedra-Tetluikan by the Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz and inspired by a poem by Carballo, was recently premiered at Carnegie Hall in New York.