Mercedes López was born and grew up in Oaxaca, Mexico. Her early work carries within it the strong presence of rural life and the natural world. Both exerted an enduring influence in her work, which she defines as a visual exploration of the basic forms and structures in nature and how we relate to them as humans.

Mercedes graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Oaxaca where she specialized in traditional techniques of printmaking. She has a Master's Degree in Art Production from the School of Arts of the Autonomous University of Morelos, where she also did a residency at the Center of Biological Research. During her residency there, she explored the relationship between art and biology.

She is currently doing a specialty in Art History, in which she has focused on the research of vegetable iconography and particularly, the symbolism of tree representations in the Novo Hispanic period.