Hay Festival Querétaro 2022

Otras historias del Archivo de Indias is an anthology that compiles texts by ten renowned Ibero-American authors who have created works of fiction based on documents held in the Archivo General de Indias. This project by the Hay Festival and CAF aims to bring the archive’s vast collection of documents to the general public and to offer a critical and diverse perspective on the multitude of stories that record and challenge the colonial memory of the Americas. One of the writers taking part in the initiative, the Colombian Cristina Bendek, will discuss the anthology with Yunuen Tapia Torres, director of UNAM ENES Morelia.

“I would have appreciated a note.” Thus begins Reliquia, beneath which lies a question: is it possible to find the words for a farewell that never took place? Ten years after his father’s suicide, Pol Guasch writes his first work of non-fiction, in which he seeks to understand and reconstruct, while reflecting on farewells and on those who leave without saying goodbye. Yet “sometimes there are no final words to bring anything to a close”. In conversation with Mara Rahab Bautista López. Introduced by Mineli González Torres.

At the start of this decade, UNAM revived the poetry collection El Ala del Tigre, which aims to showcase the linguistic, stylistic and geographical riches of Mexican literature through bilingual editions in Spanish and indigenous languages. The Mazahua author Alfredo Guzmán Cayetano, winner of the 2025 UNAM-SECTEI Young Poets’ Prize, will be in conversation with Karla Cerriteño Chávez, a graduate from the Intercultural Literature program from UNAM ENES Morelia, and Sue Meneses Eternot, full-time professor at the Intercultural Literature program at UNAM ENES Morelia, about Te encontraré en el bonrro, Mizhokjimi mío, recently published in the collection.

The prolific Cuban author Elaine Vilar Madruga will be talking to a group of secondary school pupils about Un globo rojo en tu ventana. As well as discussing the book, she will share insights into her creative process as a writer and offer various tips to help the young people learn how to create their own stories.

“I would have appreciated a note.” Thus begins Reliquia, beneath which lies a question: is it possible to find the words for a farewell that never took place? Ten years after his father’s suicide, Pol Guasch writes his first work of non-fiction, in which he seeks to understand and reconstruct, whilst reflecting on farewells and on those who leave without saying goodbye. Yet “sometimes there are no final words to bring anything to a close”. Event in conversation with Margarita Aguilar Urbán.

Gustavo Puerta Leisse (Venezuela) is one of those authors who knows exactly how to strike the right chord when speaking to children. A philosophy lecturer, editor at Ediciones Modernas el Embudo, literary critic and specialist in children’s literature, he is also the author of books such as Sentimientos encontrados.

The 2026 Men’s World Cup has now come to an end. Spain won the title in what may well have been Messi and Ronaldo’s swansong; Mexico made us dream again… But let’s pause for a moment and take a critical look at football: racism and homophobia on the pitch and in the stands; violence cloaked in the guise of passion; and blatant structural corruption. In Otro futbol es posible, Paulina Chavira Mendoza and Juan Jesús Garza Onofre not only highlight these failings, but also propose alternatives —many inspired by women’s football— for a fairer and more humane game.

Forget about finding a soulmate and accept that you are not going to find your ideal partner, since they don’t exist. Love is untimely, indescribable and is inextricably linked to anguish. In short, love is impossible. Using accessible and direct language, Darío Sztajnszrajber (Argentina) has brought philosophy to large audiences. In the eight theses of El amor es imposible, he dismantles the myth of normative romantic love. The philosopher questions ideas such as the perfect partner and invites us to rethink the notion of heartbreak as part of the desire for the impossible.

Selected by Granta in 2023 as one of the Best of Young British Novelists, Eley Williams has already established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British fiction through story collections such as Attrib. and Other Stories and the novel The Liar’s Dictionary, named by The Guardian as one of the Best Books of 2021 and winner of the Betty Trask Prize. A writer for whom language always takes centre stage, Williams delights in shifting registers, playing with rhythm, and experimenting with a wit that is as singular as it is infectious.

Event in English
With the support of British Council
Free event for the university community

There is no need to be an established writer with a literary award, or an influencer with a million followers, to get started. Your perspective is unique, your everyday life has value, and we all have a story to tell. This space is for discovering how to put your ideas into words and connect with the world. This workshop is a hands-on laboratory about the move from being a spectator to being a creator. You will learn to overcome your fear of the blank page (or the blank screen) and transform your experiences, tastes, favourite memes and witty ideas into compelling content, whether it’s a short story, a video script or a digital text that will captivate anyone. With Jorge Jole Hernández, founder of Playground.

Manuel Marsol’s (Spain) father passed away when he was just 11 years old. This event has left its mark on the work of this illustrator, who expresses his affection for his father through memories and through fantasy. He did so in the illustrated book Astro, an allegory about the love between a father and a son, told through the story of a stranded astronaut who finds himself on a distant planet under the care of an alien. And he has done so once again in El cielo en una estancia, where a photograph of a penalty kick taken by his father in 1970—capturing the ball suspended in mid-air, leaving us forever unable to know whether it ended in a goal—becomes the starting point for an exploration of childhood memory: a song, a few films, the penalty Roberto Baggio famously blasted over the bar, unanswered questions, and spheres spinning through space for eternity.

The Spaniard Javier Serena is the editor of the acclaimed journal of literary criticism and thought Cuadernos hispanoamericanos, which specialises in Spanish-language literature from both continents. He is also the author of several novels, the most recent of which is Apuntes para una despedida, the story of a relationship marked by desire, frustration and inevitable loss. He will be speaking to Silvia Ruiz Tresgallo (Mexico) about the interplay between his editorial work and the creativity behind his works of fiction.

Defining María Galindo (Bolivia) is to talk about anarcho-feminism; about the Mujeres Creando movement; the idea of the “tecnoshaman”; and about books such as Feminismo bastardo, Ninguna mujer nace para puta and No se puede descolonizar sin despatriarcalizar. About occupying the streets, as if they were trenches; about deconsecrating the academy; and disputing feminism from the south and from the periphery; all through activism, campaigning and provocation. There are many “Galindos” in this unmanageable writer, whom we will meet at this event with María Michelle Villanueva Moreno (Mexico).

“I would have appreciated a note.” Thus begins Reliquia, beneath which lies a question: is it possible to find the words for a farewell that never took place? Ten years after his father’s suicide, Pol Guasch writes his first work of non-fiction, in which he seeks to understand and reconstruct, while reflecting on farewells and on those who leave without saying goodbye. Yet “sometimes there are no final words to bring anything to a close”.

There are books that are best understood through the author’s life story. Rosa Ramírez Mazaheri was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa; she emigrated to the United States at the age of thirteen and graduated from Smith College, where she studied Spanish and Latin American Studies, specialising in subversive poetry written by women and queer people in Latin America. The protagonist of Material inflamable is also a Mexican woman studying at a university in Massachusetts; a young woman who reflects on her roots and mixes Spanish and English in her writing — although, what is your mother tongue when you have crossed the border at a young age? A novel that swings between reality and delirium, drawing us into the protagonist’s internal struggle with mental health and addiction. In conversation with Iliana Padilla.

In a country where literature often tackles the most horrific forms of violence in society, Liliana Blum (Mexico) has surprised everyone by doing the same with the most sordid aspects of human nature. Pandora explored sexual paraphilias, perversions and relationships rife with abuse, fatphobia and social complicity. She has since continued to delve into the macabre with El monstruo pentápodo and Cara de liebre. A decade later, she has just reissued Pandora, with a foreword written by her and previously unpublished chapters. An unmissable opportunity to reopen the box of the monstrously human.

The British-Ugandan poet Nick Makoha will run a creative poetry workshop based on the Black Ekphrastic Mode: an exercise in reframing our perspective, reimagining the art and music we know, and from there finding our own poetic voice. In other words, responding to canonical Western art with creativity from a perspective of otherness. Because while Makoha views the world through the lens of blackness, someone else might adopt a feminist, community-based or indigenous perspective. The aim is to begin creating by altering our view of the world and art.

Event in English

A bond that both connects and divides a mother and daughter, a relationship that shifts between affection and cruelty, tenderness and mutual resentment, between what is frustrating and what remains unresolved. In My Phantoms, Gwendoline Riley (UK) portrays the complex relationship between Helen Grant and her daughter Bridge, driven by a question that lingers to the very last page: why did things never quite work out? She will join Raquel Ortiz Ledesma and María José Vázquez de la Mora to discuss the uncomfortable realities of family relationships.

Event in English

The Spanish writer Cristina Monge is the current winner of the Paidós Essay Prize for Contra el descontento. In it, she analyses the main challenges of the century, such as job insecurity, digital loneliness and disaffection towards institutions and their representatives. The author argues that we are living through a period of profound discontent that calls democratic coexistence into question; a critical analysis that culminates, however, in a hopeful outlook on this collective unease: if we revive public discourse, if we defend the facts and rebuild a new social contract, we will strengthen democracy.

Few people know the brain better than Jesús Ramírez-Bermúdez, a doctor specialising in neuropsychiatry at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery; and even fewer have done such extensive work in popularising not only science but also culture, with books such as Melancolía creativa, Depresión: la noche más oscura and Paramnesia. A journey into the depths where human creativity is born, in conversation with XX.

Whoever controls AI will control the world. This warning —issued by Vladimir Putin in 2017— reflects an ongoing reality: technological development has concentrated power —economic, ideological and political— as never before. The race to dominate this new architecture of reality is advancing without us fully understanding what is happening, with tools capable of generating falsehoods on an unprecedented scale. Moreover, how can we even begin to regulate a technology that is evolving at such a dizzying pace? Pedro Salazar Ugarte, a researcher at UNAM and author of Totalitarianism Total, talks to César Andrés García Sánchez about this reconfiguration of power.

Defining María Galindo (Bolivia) is to talk about anarcho-feminism; about the Mujeres Creando movement; the idea of the “tecnoshaman”; and about books such as Feminismo bastardo, Ninguna mujer nace para puta and No se puede descolonizar sin despatriarcalizar. About occupying the streets, as if they were trenches; about deconsecrating the academy; and disputing feminism from the south and from the periphery; all through activism, campaigning and provocation. There are many “Galindos” in this unmanageable writer, whom we will meet at this event with Connie Garrido Sicilia.

The geographies of María Dueñas (Spain) place the protagonist of Por si un día volvemos in Oran in the 1920s. Although she has, on the face of it, crossed the Mediterranean to escape poverty, every flight has more than one motive, and as the plot unfolds, we will peel back all the layers of her story. The author of The Time In Between, Las hijas del capitán and Sira retains those characteristic elements —migratory movements, courageous women as protagonists— that have made her one of the most important and widely read writers in the Spanish-speaking world.

Does the American Dream exist? Today, the concept no longer shines quite as brightly as it once did, and the idea has given way to new American dreams: a series of alternative perspectives that reflect the many realities coexisting on the continent. Come and see how an episode of the Hay Festival podcast is recorded live in Spanish, and listen to the thoughts of Connie Garrido Sicilia, Elaine Vilar Madruga and Natalia Toledo on new ways of writing and living.

Presenters: Iñaki Lasa Etura, Carlos Millet and Luis Pérez

Scripting: BullterrierFM and Hay Festival Internacional

Production: BullterrierFM

Manuel Marsol’s (Spain) father passed away when he was just 11 years old. This event has left its mark on the work of this illustrator, who expresses his affection for his father through memories and through fantasy. He did so in the illustrated book Astro, an allegory about the love between a father and a son, told through the story of a stranded astronaut who finds himself on a distant planet under the care of an alien. And he has done so once again in El cielo en una estancia, where a photograph of a prison, in which a football is suspended in mid-air forever, serves as the catalyst for imagining celestial bodies and the harmony of the spheres, comets and stars.

Discovering the Alameda is an experiential learning programme designed using the Caminalee methodology, which aims to spark children’s curiosity about urban biodiversity, strengthen their sense of belonging, and promote care for our natural heritage through experiences that combine storytelling, exploration, observation and creativity. Participants will explore the Alameda Hidalgo like true explorers, discovering that this historic space is home to a surprising wealth of trees, birds and wildlife that often goes unnoticed. The activity combines an interpretative walk, reading, guided observation and hands-on activities that transform knowledge into a meaningful experience.

Please, register in this form to participate in this activity.

Esta improbable tierra prometida is a living chronicle of a continent. This is Latin America as seen through the eyes and pen of the essayist Alma Guillermoprieto (Mexico). It is a compendium of violence, power and beauty, forming her third volume of essays dedicated to the region and completing a portrait of tragedy and glory in the age of populism and demagoguery. It features interviews with murderers and relatives of their victims; conversations with thoughtful politicians and heads of state; and with artists, street sweepers… This is the Latin America of the recent past.

En lengua privada is a collection of short stories by Emiliano Monge that blurs the limits between fiction and non-fiction. These tales are written in italics, because the author of Los vivos, No contar todo and Las tierras arrasadas constructs the texts in this book using techniques typical of the essay, literary journalism and biography, while playing with language, ideas and experience.

The 2026 Men’s World Cup has now come to an end. Spain won the title in what may well have been Messi and Ronaldo’s swansong; Mexico made us dream again… But let’s pause for a moment and take a critical look at football: racism and homophobia on the pitch and in the stands; violence cloaked in the guise of passion; and blatant structural corruption. In Otro futbol es posible, Paulina Chavira Mendoza and Juan Jesús Garza Onofre not only highlight these failings, but also propose alternatives —many inspired by women’s football— for a fairer and more humane game.

Accesibility: interpretation into Mexican Sign Language

The Hay Festival Queretaro book clubs offer intimate events with a selection of the festival guests. These are spaces to talk in greater depth about these authors’ most recent works. At this event, Iveth Luna Flores (Mexico) will talk to Paula Astorga about Neblina afuera.

Book to be read before attending

Does the American Dream exist? Today, the concept no longer shines quite as brightly as it once did, and the idea has given way to new American dreams: a series of alternative perspectives that reflect the many realities coexisting on the continent. Come and see how an episode of the Hay Festival podcast is recorded live in Spanish, and listen to the thoughts of Jeremías Gamboa, Rosa Ramírez Mazaheri and Martín Solares on new ways of writing and living.

Hay Festival en español podcast, live.

Presenters: Iñaki Lasa Etura, Carlos Millet and Luis Pérez

Scripting: BullterrierFM and Hay Festival Internacional

Production: BullterrierFM

This is a unique opportunity to enjoy the poetry of Gilraen Eärfalas. The acclaimed author of best-selling works such as No me llames loca and Desfibrilador will present her most recent poems at an intimate gathering, a poetry recital designed specifically for neurodivergent people. The poems in De anatomía poética speak to wounded hearts and aim to heal the aching soul. As in this verse taken from the book: “Let the autopsy say what it will / for my life ended before my death”.

Accesibility: relaxed performance

What did Mexico sound like in the past? The water drum, the yokotan drums, the Mayan conch shell trumpet, the Cora turtle shell, the Jarocha and Huasteca jaranas… Carolina Zúñiga Zúñiga will introduce the children attending to indigenous and rural musical groups and instruments through a participatory workshop, in which the audience will listen to these instruments, play them, dance to their rhythms, and even stamp their feet during the musical narration of the story Bemberecua de Honorio Robledo.

After becoming the youngest author to win the prestigious Booker Prize for The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai (India) went on to publish her next novel straight away. However, The Solitude of Sonia and Sunny comes after two decades of letting her memories of India simmer. As in her previous novel, the story is set in both the United States and India, but also in Mexico, where she lived for a time, which helped her to understand American influence from a different perspective. Sonia and Sunny’s story is one of love, migration and rootlessness and, above all, of the different kinds of loneliness that emerge on the periphery.

Simultaneous interpretation from English to Spanish available