Contreras de Martínez was born Maria Contreras Ibarra was born in Ixtlán del Río, Nayarit, México, on 10 August 1900.

She moved to the United States in the 1920s. In 1933, she married Pedro Martinez Robles. The couple had at least 2 daughters. She was a housewife.

Maria Contreras de Martínez died in Los Angeles, California, USA, on 18 May 2011. She was survived by her daughters, Otilia and Rosalinda.