Emeteria Rios Martinez wearing traditional Huichol clothing.

In 1979, Eugene Garfield (1925–2017) commissioned a mural for the opening of the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). He later learned that Martinez had received only 5% of the fee paid for the work. In response, Garfield arranged for her to work directly with the institute and provided a monthly stipend so she could create freely. She was also commissioned to produce smaller yarn paintings, which were gifted to ISI clients and visitors.

Over the next two decades, Martinez created murals and yarn paintings that shared the religion, myths, and daily life of the Huichol people.

Her Huichol name, Kapuri, means “white and sensitive flower.”