por Who was Adolfo López Mateos?
Adolfo Lopez Mateos (1909-1969) was a Mexican professor, lawyer, and politician for the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) who rose to the presidential seat of his country in 1957 to take office for the 1958-1964 presidential term. In addition to his occupations, he is remembered for being an excellent speaker, a lover of literature and other artistic manifestations, in addition to boxing.
The contributions of Adolfo López Mateos as the fifty-third president of the Republic of the United Mexican States were, among others, the creation of the Institute of Social Security and Services for Workers (ISSSTE), the National Museum of Anthropology and other educational and cultural spaces for the country, the modernization of communication routes or the establishment of the “aguinaldo” for workers.
It also highlights the national economic growth during his period of government, the nationalization of the electric power company, the election of Mexico for the XIX Olympic Games, the reintegration of Chamizal into Mexican territory and the signing of the Pact of Tlatelolco.
Biography of Adolfo López Mateos
Birth
Adolfo López Mateos was born in the Atizapán de Zaragoza municipality, located in central Mexico. There is no true birth certificate, and therefore there are two versions regarding his date of birth, which indicate different data.
One version indicates that he was born on May 26, 1909. This information appears in some personal documents of López Mateos, such as his marriage certificate and his registration as a candidate for the presidency on behalf of the Institutional Revolutionary Party.
The second version establishes the date of birth of López Mateos in 1910. This information was given by his sister Esperanza, so it is generally considered the true option.
Family
His mother was named Elena Mateos y Vega, who dedicated herself to teaching. Elena’s father was the caudillo José Perfecto Mateos, who participated in the war against the intervention of France and obtained a decoration for his work in the conflict.
His father was Mariano Gerardo López y Sánchez Roman, born in Tlaltenanco, in Zacatecas. He was a dentist specializing in surgeries, who passed away shortly after Adolfo was born.
They both lived in Mexico City and used to go on vacation to Atizapán de Zaragoza. While there, Elena felt the symptoms of labor and gave birth to Adolfo.
Spanish father
There is another version of the origins of López Mateos that indicates that his father was not Mariano López y Sánchez Roman, but that he was born after he died (in 1904) and that his real father was Gonzalo de Murga y Suinaga, a Spanish businessman. .
There are no certified documents that indicate this consanguineous relationship, there is only a personal letter giving this information, as well as other records that confirm that Gonzalo and Elena had a relationship.
This diatribe about his origin was very important for Mexico, since in that country’s legislation it is stipulated that a person must have both Mexican parents as their origin to be able to run for the presidency of the nation.
When the fact that López Mateos was the son of a Spanish citizen was discovered, it was concluded that he was president illegally.
In any case, Adolfo was the last of five siblings to lose their father at a young age. After Adolfo’s birth, the family settled in Mexico City.
Studies
When Adolfo was five years old, he received a scholarship from the Rafael Dondé Foundation and thanks to it he began to study at the French School. This institution was highly appreciated by Adolfo throughout his life, he even vividly remembered what his school principals and teachers were called.
While studying at this school, he worked as an office assistant and messenger, and later traveled to Toluca, where he continued his education, this time in secondary school. This training was carried out at the Scientific and Literary Institute in 1927.
In his high school days, Adolfo worked as a librarian and led several student protests when José Vasconcelos was a candidate for the presidency of Mexico. These demonstrations were in favor of this politician.
López Mateos was an active student, since he also dedicated himself to writing in the student newspaper Momentum. He also taught Ibero-American literature and universal history at the Normal School of Teachers in Toluca, when he had not yet graduated.
In 1929, Pascual Ortiz Rubio, an opposition candidate to José Vasconcelos, won the elections. Fearing reprisals, López Mateos traveled to Guatemala, where he stayed for a short time.
Later, López Mateos continued his training at the National School of Jurisprudence, where he entered in 1930. He graduated from this institution in 1934 as a lawyer. Parallel to this, López Mateos showed interest in boxing, even going so far as to practice this sport.
Laboral life
The first job that López Mateos had was in the Public Ministry in Tlanepantla, where he worked as an agent. He very soon left this job because he was elected as a representative for the Socialist Labor Party in the Anti-reelection Convention of Aguas Calientes.
In 1931 he was a speaker in the presidential campaign of Miguel Alemán Valdés. In addition, he was the personal secretary of the president of the National Revolutionary Party, Carlos Riva Palacios; López Mateos got this job after giving a speech to Riva Palacios while he was at the Toluca Institute.
In 1937 López Mateos married Eva Sámano Bishop, who would later become the first lady of Mexico and as such had an activity that was positively recognized by the Mexican community.
political performance
Starting in 1940, Adolfo López Mateos held various positions in the political arena. That year he was in charge of leading the Popular Editorial Office, and the following year, in 1941, he began to fulfill the duties of general secretary of the Directorate of Extracurricular and Aesthetic Education of the Ministry of Public Education. He was there until 1943.
While he fulfilled these obligations, in 1942 he was a senator before Congress representing the State of Mexico; In addition, he was a member of the Editorial Board of the magazine Route.
In 1951 López Mateos was general secretary of the Institutional Revolutionary Party and coordinated the presidential campaign of candidate Adolfo Ruiz Cortines. When Ruiz Cortines was victorious, he appointed López Mateos as leader of the Ministry of Labor and Social Prevention.
The work of López Mateos also covered the international arena, since he came to represent the Mexican nation in the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Presidency
Adolfo López Mateos obtained the presidency of Mexico, and took office specifically on December 1, 1958.
The most relevant aspect of his government is that the areas of services and industry experienced significant growth, which had a positive influence on the country’s economic environment.
For this development, the government of López Mateos used internal capital and the participation of foreign investors, who intervened with abundant sums of money.
Under his mandate, the electric power companies came to have a greater number of shares belonging to the State. In addition, there was a reform in the Constitution of the Republic thanks to which both minorities and party deputies could participate in the Congress of the Union.
Education
In the educational field, López Mateos advocated the creation of institutions such as the National Institute for Child Protection and the Corn and Wheat Research Center, among other organizations.
A fundamental element of his management was that textbooks were delivered free of charge in primary schools; In this way, education was being promoted in the most disadvantaged sectors. Likewise, there was an increase in the number of school breakfasts, which also contributed to greater inclusion.
workers
Adolfo López Mateos was a promoter of setting minimum wages, determining the guidelines to be taken into account for it.
In addition, his policy followed the line of land distribution in favor of those who worked in the fields.
Repression
In the period of López Mateos, the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers was created. Despite all the social demands, the López Mateos government also carried out repressive actions.
For example, the railway strikes that took place at one time were considered illegal by the government, and various abuses were perpetrated in this context: railway facilities were taken over by the army, thousands of people were fired, and trainees were imprisoned. protest leaders.
Likewise, at this time in general there was a very marked persecution of political figures with a left-wing tendency.
For example, the states of Guerrero and Morelos were some of the most intense outbreaks, where a political leader, peasant Rubén Jaramillo, was even assassinated, and Genaro Vásquez, the leader of the protest, was taken to jail. Similarly, both David Alfaro Siqueiros (painter) and Filomeno Mata (journalist) were imprisoned during the López Mateos period.
At international level
The government of Adolfo López Mateos was firmly dedicated to building relations with other countries that were favorable to Mexico. In addition, it carried out important actions, such as promoting the signing of the Treaty of Tlatelolco, a document through which the prohibition of nuclear weapons in said area was achieved.
University City of Toluca
This López Mateos project deserves special mention, since it involved the construction of the Faculty of Medicine, the Preparatory School, the General Hospital and other areas dedicated to sports. All these constructions were erected on twelve hectares of land.
The Ciudad Universitaria de Toluca was inaugurated by López Mateos on November 5, 1964, the year in which his period of government ended.
Death
Adolfo López Mateos died in Mexico City on November 22, 1969. His death was very hard for his relatives, since he suffered from an illness that left him unconscious for 2 years.
In the center of the University City promoted by him, a monument was erected in his honor, which began to be built in the months after his death.
Contributions of Adolfo López Mateos
In the following list we describe the most important public policies of Adolfo López Mateos during his presidential regency.
Created the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE)
One of the first efforts made by López Mateos was the creation of the Institute of Security and Social Services for State Workers in 1959.
This government organization is still in force to this day and is responsible for providing social benefits such as health care, old age, disability, work risks and death to…