Cordelia Urueta (Mexico City, 1908 - 1995) was born into a family of artists and intellectuals, and began her artistic training with private lessons before studying at Alfredo Ramos Martínez’s Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre (Outdoor Painting School). She worked as a drawing and crafts teacher at the Secretaría de Educación Pública (Ministry of Public Education), where she formed friendships with several influential artists. In 1938, she moved to Paris as a chancellor at the Mexican embassy, and later relocated to New York during World War II. Her artistic career flourished after her return to Mexico in 1945. 

Urueta's style blends figurative and abstract elements, employing non-naturalistic color to convey emotion and dreamlike atmospheres, especially in depictions of the human form. Her work addresses indigenist and social justice themes while also exploring expressive intentions through formal elements. Throughout the 20th century, Urueta exhibited internationally and received awards, including at the Inter-American Painting Biennial and the VI São Paulo Biennial, establishing herself as a key figure in Modern Mexican Art.