NATIONAL AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO

COLLEGE OF SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

VALLEJO CAMPUS

HISTORY OF MEXICO II

Jose López Portillo y Pacheco:

The solution is all of us

TEAM 08

Introduction
In this document, we will talk about: José López Portillo y Pacheco, his government
was characterized, along with those of Alemán, Salinas, and Zedillo, as one of the
the most corrupt six-year terms of the 20th century, the government of José López Portillo began with
willingness to reconcile with entrepreneurs and dissenting organizations, for which
a political reform called the Federal Law on Political Organizations and
Social Electoral Processes that was enacted in December 1977.

During the six-year term of José López Portillo, the basis of the economy was oil dependence.
that is, to bet on growth through oil exports. In 1976, discoveries were made
equivalent reserves of 6.3 billion barrels. In 1979, it was announced that
Mexico held 5% of the world's oil reserves and 3% of natural gas.
worldwide. To stimulate the growth of this product, it increased the export of
crude oil to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Another welfare institution established during the government of José López Portillo was
COPLAMAR, responsible for promoting the establishment and diversification of sources
work in marginalized areas to support marginalized groups and areas
through the channeling of public and private resources and the training of the
nuclei of population.
During the operation of the program, actions were taken in the field of health,
education, food supply, provision of drinking water, road construction,
job generation, rural electrification, agro-industrial development and services
support for the peasant economy. In general terms, between 1970 and 1980 the
total poverty in the country decreased significantly, as did illiteracy, and a
the largest number of people were incorporated into the benefits of the IMSS and of the
CONASUPO. Just as happened in other programs, the crisis of 1981 to 1982 affected
these achievements and threw them to the ground.

56° President of Mexico

Government Date: From December 1, 1976, to November 30, 1982.

Political Party: Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)

The slogan of their campaign was: 'We are all the solution.'

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His full name was José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco. Lawyer and
Mexican politician who served as president of the Mexican Republic during a
six-year term between of 1976 a 1982.

Sus parents they were:

* Joseph López Partition y Weber

* Refuge Pacheco y Villa-Gordoa.

José López Portillo was born into a family full of politicians and intellectuals. He studied law.
at the University of Chile and graduated in 1945 at the age of 25. After a
He studied for a doctorate in law at the National Autonomous University.
Mexico (UNAM) graduated at the age of 30 in the year 1950.

His preparation, work, and dedication helped him to work in 1960.

as a professor at the same educational institution where he studied law and also was
professor of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), two high-level institutions
academic en the country.

He married Carmen Romano Nölck and they had three children. Little by little, José López
Portillo made his way in public life as he held various positions.
in the federal public administration and in the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI),
party that had total power over all Mexicans for most of the 20th century.

He worked as a litigator at the law school of UNAM. As a professor, he founded in

1961 the doctorate in Administrative Sciences from the Higher School of Commerce and
Administration of the National Polytechnic Institute. Shortly after, he worked at the
Secretariat of National Heritage, in the office of the Presidency of Mexico and
he also worked in the direction of the Federal Electricity Commission.

Beginnings politicians

The incursions of José López Portillo y Pacheco into politics occurred after
that he had turned 40 years old. It was then that he left his office.
as a litigator and began to serve in public positions.

Between 1959 and 1960, López Portillo was part of the Secretariat of National Heritage.
He was also among the ranks of the PRI during the presidency of Adolfo.
López Mateos. From there, he moved on to hold positions in the governments of Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.

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y of your friend Luis Echeverria Alvarez.

He was in the Office of the Presidency for a time in minor positions and then
he was appointed as General Director of the Federal Electricity Commission between the
18 de febrero de 1972 y el 29 de mayo del año siguiente.

Then it was when Echeverría gave José López Portillo y Pacheco a true
main role at the national level, by appointing him Secretary of Finance and Credit
Audience.

When he was appointed Secretary of Treasury in 1973, his political career received a
very important strength and her personal life improved even more due to the high income that
he obtained while being in charge of the Mexican Treasury, a position he held until 1975.
the friendship he had with Echeverría helped him to continue progressing in the
political issues.

The choice of López Portillo for that position was heavily criticized, as he did not possess
experience in the subject and it was considered that it was based more on friendship of
Echeverría with López Portillo, who has the merits of the latter.

Candidacy and election.

When Echeverría was about to finish his presidential administration, he chose to

José López Portillo representing the PRI as a candidate for the seat
presidential. At this point, it is important to know that the registered political parties
on the right was the National Action Party (PAN) and on the left was the Party
Mexican Communist Party (PCM), however, the first party did not present a candidate.
and the second presented Valentín Campa.

In September 1975, José López Portillo y Pacheco was appointed as a candidate.

to the contest representing the Institutional Revolutionary Party.

López Portillo had to appear alone, since the only registered party for
to participate in the presidential elections that was an opponent of the PRI was the Party
National Action, which was then divided into two factions headed
by José Ángel Conchello and Efraín González Luna.

The elections were held on July 4, 1976. At that time, there were registered
as voters in the electoral roll of 25,913,063 Mexicans.

Logically, López Portillo and Pacheco won. He reached the presidency with 91.90% of the votes.
the votes, since there were nearly a million null votes, the majority of the

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Invalid ballots belonged to Valentín Campa, the communist candidate.

Although the slogan of his campaign was 'We are all the solution', López Portillo himself
joking was allowed about his unopposed rise to the highest office
Mexican for the what reached 16,424,021 votes.

Despite having benefited from that situation, López Portillo took care to improve.
the conditions for new parties and facilitating their creation. Likewise,
provided the guarantee to offer spaces for them to develop
democratically.

Six-year term
José López Portillo y Pacheco assumed the position of president of the United States
Mexicans on December 1, 1976. At that moment, Mexico was going through a tough
situation economic inherited del mandate de Luis Echeverría.

The speech that López Portillo offered to the Mexican people was highly celebrated since
addressed the sectors most affected by the national crisis: "Let's make a
intelligent truce to regain our serenity and not lose our way.

At that moment, he assured that he would work hard to lift the poor and the...
dispossessed ahead.

Your government started in austerity but, due to circumstances that affected everyone
globe, like the interruption of crude oil supply from Arab countries to the world
occidental, Mexico it vio beneficiary.

Then, López Portillo assured that he would manage the abundance. However,
during the second half of his term, the country had to face one of the most
criticisms situations economic of su history.

Internationally, there was a policy of openness, ties were reestablished with Spain,
he received Pope John Paul II, supported the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua, received
Fidel Castro e he attempted to promote dialogue among nations.

But the actions at the end of his government were what defined him for history.
Much was said about the nepotism he openly practiced by giving positions to
relatives y friends what no himselffound qualified.

More of his decisions, which he would later claim were the result of poor advice,

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they led the country to a resounding economic debacle that ended with the
nationalization of Mexican banks and the increase of external debt.

First stage
When José López Portillo y Pacheco took office as the Mexican president, the currency
had just been devalued by Luis Echeverría. Throughout the government of the previous
mandatary the weight himself devalued in total a 94%.

He promised the poor that they would benefit from his government, and in principle, that was the case.
López Portillo promoted the creation of jobs through fiscal measures.
with the what attempted attract the investment to the country.

Although agriculture saw a considerable rise during López Portillo's time, he

focused on diversifying the country's income and strengthening the national industry,
especially the oil company, represented by Petroleum of Mexico (Pemex), the
company state.

When the Arab oil supply to the United States of

North America was interrupted, it was the opportunity to progress rapidly for
Mexico, which tried to cover part of that deficit with accelerated investment to
improve his capacity of extraction.
The unemployment rate fell by 50% and the gross domestic product was increasing up to a
8% annual. It was at that moment when López Portillo stated that he would have the
responsibility to manage the abundance of a country accustomed to the
shortcomings.

Second stage
It was criticized that López Portillo lacked a vision for the future due to his decisions, in his
autobiography claimed that information was being withheld from him and that is why he acted in a certain way

politics instead of choosing the best administrative and economic options.

Mexico's external debt continued to grow year after year during the six-year term of
López Portillo, backed by the large revenues that were expected, since everyone
they believed that the price of crude would continue to rise. Until the market
if collapsed.

Entonces la burocracia que existía en el país consumía gran parte de los menguados
national assets. Savers, sensing the fall of the national economy,
They initiated a rapid currency change that quickly depreciated the Mexican peso.

López Portillo's administration was reluctant to carry out a devaluation.

When they finally made the decision, it was already too late. The dollar rose from 24.5 pesos to

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principle del government en 1977 a 148.5 in 1982.

During the government of José López Portillo, the Mexican peso was devalued a total of
3665%.

Education.

Education is a liberating weapon for the individual and for society and that it is the
the only way to achieve social justice

Lic. José López Portillo y Pacheco

Lic. Porfirio Muñoz Ledo served as Secretary of Public Education

from December 1976 to December 9, 1977), who developed the National Plan of
Education of 1977, the purposes that can be highlighted from the Plan are:

Link education to the needs of economic development.

- The universalization of the education primary.
The definition of the compulsory nature of secondary education and the expansion of
services oriented towards education for life and for work.
- Develop the capacity of system for to educate.

Lic. Fernando Solana Morales served as the Secretary of Public Education in 1977.
who organized suspicious
actions in five objectives y they were:

1. Elevate the quality of the education.

2. Ensure basic education for all (children and youth).
3. Relate terminal education in a realistic and practical way to the system of
production of goods services. y
4. Raise the administrative and financial efficiency of the educational system.
5. Improve the overall cultural atmosphere of the town.
To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, fifty were implemented.
programs, inside of the what stand out:
- Promote the habit of the reading.
- Primary for everyone.
- Education for adults.
- Castilianization of the population indigenous monolingual.
- Promotion of terminal education at the upper secondary level.
- Rationalization y coordination of higher education.
Improvement of the teacher training system.

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Improvement of the contents y methods educational.
Decentralization of the administration and operation of educational services
federal.
Improvement of human resource management.

The Secretary of Public Education, Lic. Fernando Solana mentioned that "the Policy
The educational system of the government of the Republic is based on the letter and the spirit of the Third.
Constitutional and addresses the fundamental problem of the country, the social and enormous.
backwardness
what suffers the nation in matter educational.

On August 29, 1978, the National Pedagogical University was established by decree.

The National Education Program for Marginalized Groups was established.

for Everyone) whose objectives they were:
a) Ensure primary education for all children in the country.
b) Promote the teaching of Spanish to those who do not speak it.
c) Expand the education for adults.
In 1981, the Internal Regulations of the SEP were amended, creating the following
subsecretariats:
- Undersecretariat of Sport.
- Undersecretariat of Culture.
- Undersecretariat of Planning Educational.
- Subsecretariat of Education Elemental.
- Undersecretariat of Education Media.
- Undersecretariat of Education e Research Technological.
- Undersecretariat of Higher Education e Research Scientific.

In June 1980, Article 3 of the Constitution was reformed, granting it the

autonomy to the Universities and academic freedom.

Economic measures.

The measures were announced on September 1, 1982. Again, and

then, with tears in his eyes, José López Portillo y Pacheco asked for forgiveness from the
the dispossessedy marginalized for to have themdefrauded colossally.

He has issued two decrees: one that nationalizes private banks and another that
establish the generalized control of changes, not as a surviving policy of
better late than never, if not because now the conditions have been given that it
They require and justify. It's now or never. They have already looted us. Mexico is not finished.
Yes no us saquearan”

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He tried to blame the 'money suckers' and the bankers by saying that 'he was responsible
"of the helm, not of the storm." His statements were interpreted by the owners
of banks how a insult.

Many believed that they had no guilt at all; rather, they thought that they
It was about poor budget management by the government.

After the mandate of López Portillo concluded, the government of Miguel de the
Madrid separated from the figure of the former president, who chose him as his successor because
I thought that Mexico needed an economist and not a politician.

S. A. M. (Mexican Food System)

This program was initiated to increase agricultural production. Despite that, the ship
It sank and imports were necessary to supply consumers.
Mexicans during the end of López Portillo's term and that of his successor.

Despite López Portillo's efforts to make the Mexican economy independent,

the plans failed and the imports of different goods that the country was making were
They accounted for 41.9% of consumption. In addition, exports fell.

Foreign Policy.

The foreign policy of the government of José López Portillo y Pacheco was one of conciliation.
He used his position to promote projects aimed at establishing dialogues.
international and broadened the scope of Mexican relations.

The Mexican president tried to strengthen the trade link with the United States.
from North America, while inviting them to soften immigration policies
between both countries neighbors.

In 1977, the process began to restore diplomatic relations with the

Spanish monarchy headed by King Juan Carlos I. The ties between Mexico and
Spain had been broken for 38 years at that moment.

Pope John Paul II visited Mexico in 1979, thus opening up relations as well.
with the Vatican. Then, between 1980 and 1981, the country led by López Portillo was
member of the United Nations Security Council.

Mexico Leader.

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Perhaps because of the economically privileged position that Mexico had during a
At the time, López Portillo felt he had to take on the role of mediator between countries.
Central and South Americans with the powers of the North. However, for some this
The attitude of the Mexican leader was considered interference.

He supported the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and allowed Fidel Castro to visit Mexico.
Moreover, he was on the side of the Salvadoran insurgents who opposed the government.
official in The Salvador.

The speech by López Portillo and Pacheco at the Organization of the

United Nations in 1979. There he proposed the World Energy Plan, in which they should
to integrate oil-producing countries of all political trends.
Entonces se podría conducir al mundo a acabar con la dependencia del combustible
fossil y to steer it a the era of la energy renewable.

López Portillo received 66 heads of state and visited 20 countries during his six-year term. Together
In 1980, they agreed with Venezuela to offer crude oil at privileged prices to countries.
del Caribbean.

It also gave impetus to the International Meeting on Cooperation and Development,

known as the North-South Summit. In that event, held in Cancun during
In 1981, 22 countries gathered to establish dialogues for the future.

Economic aspects.

Portillo began his term in office during a major economic crisis, ensuring his prestige as
ruler in the commitment of having been elected to manage this crisis; He
carried out a large number of nationalizations of companies, industries, and businesses that
were at risk of breaking;

Per capita GDP fell by 2.5%: the deficit of public finances reached a
impressive 9.1 of the GDP and, consequently, inflation was at an never seen before
27.2 %.

The total external debt as of June 30, 1977, was 20,948 million dollars, or
it is more than four times what it was at the end of the Díaz Ordaz period.

When López Portillo took office and before a decayed Mexico, he pronounced a
speech that won the support of the entire country: "Let's make an intelligent truce to
recover our serenity and not lose our way... we can make our homeland
a hell, or a country where life is good.

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He also announced that the first two years of his government were dedicated to overcoming the
crisis, the two intermediaries to consolidate the economy and the last two would be of
accelerated expansion.

The discovery of oil in Veracruz, Tabasco, and Campeche, this

discovery placed Mexico as the fifth largest producing country, OPEC
(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) They raised the price of
this hydrocarbon, many countries bought from Mexico and this was very beneficial
Well, the inflow of foreign currency was huge.

Political aspects.

At the end of that six-year term, we were the fourth most important oil-producing country.
global level, Also shared government matters with Jesús Reyes Heroles that
Undertake what is the maximum regime of López Portillo.

In that year, the Mexican government opposed the Nicaraguan regime of Anastasio.
Somoza Debayle and, after his fall and the triumph of the Sandinista revolution, Mexico
participated in supporting the Sandinistas and tried to mediate between the United States and the new
Nicaraguan government. But, with the arrival of Reagan to the presidency
North American, the State Department protested what it called "the
Mexican interventionism in Central America" and Mexico had to desist in its
conciliation attempt. However, the Nicaraguans granted López Portillo
the "César Augusto Sandino" medal, awarded for your efforts in favor of the new
government.

Social Aspects.

López Portillo addressed the people saying, 'The Mexicans who have suffered hardships
ancestral, now they will have to learn to manage abundance" so it was until
1981. Afterwards, the finances became unbalanced, and the debt grew due to high interest rates.
and it reached one hundred billion dollars, then there was a massive capital flight, people
he wanted to exchange his pesos for dollars and that caused the dollar to continue
increasing, to avoid this President Portillo in his last government report
nationalized the banking system in Mexico.

Cultural Aspects.

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López Portillo unleashed his passion for grand plans, he began the
construction of monumental works, he wanted total modernization during his six-year term.

Positive contributions.

He devised an agricultural development plan and created the SAM (Food System)
Mexican) to seek not to depend on food, there was economic growth
and the salary increased, unemployment decreased, the INEA (National Institute for
adult education), inequality decreased, Pope John Paul II visited
Mexico.

In 1981, López Portillo proposed before the plenary of the United Nations.
Unified the World Energy Resources Plan; and was awarded the Prize
Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in its first edition and invested
as Knight Grand Cross adorned with the Grand Ribbon of the Order of Merit of
the Italian Republic. At the end of that year, the North-South Summit was organized in the
city of Cancun to promote dialogue between the First and Third countries
World.

Negative contributions.

During this period, VAT (Value Added Tax) was created as a new reform.
Treasury; The government took over the companies that were about to go bankrupt.
to avoid unemployment, without thinking about the consequences of a greater outflow of money
government to maintain them.

José López Portillo was one of the worst politicians and presidents we have had.
On one occasion, he spoke about defending the peso and in less than 2 weeks it was devalued.
One day he had the brilliant idea of raising the minimum wage and the next day we were hit with the
inflation (rise in the basic basket).

His experience as a literary writer.

After his presidency, José López Portillo y Pacheco was also a writer.
during his life he went through different genres but especially worked on essays
and novels. Some of his works were:

- Quetzalcoatl (1965).
- Don Q (1975).
- They they are coming...
The conquest of Mexico (1987).
- My times (2 tomos, 1988).

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- Thresholds (1997).
The super PRI (2002).

For example, Don Q is a futuristic vision monologue in which Don Q, the alter ego of
author, reflects on the existence and destiny of man. Quetzalcoatl reconstructs
the mythical figure and the historical character, while recreating life and customs
in the pre-Hispanic era. The prologue to The Spanish Exile in Mexico analyzes the
participation of the Spanish republicans in the country and establishes its importance
about the position that Mexico took. My times is a reflection on its experience
how political scientist essayist y professor

Another of his most famous and controversial works was his autobiography, My Times, in the
who spoke about the reasons for his actions during his government and tried to clean his
name.

Personal life and death.

It is mentioned about his private life that López Portillo married for the first time with
Carmen Romano and from the marriage three children were born: José Ramón, Carmen and
Paulina.

It is said that he was romantically involved with his Secretary of Tourism, Rosa.
Light Joy.

In 1995, he remarried the actress Sasha Montenegro, with whom he had

two children.

His last years were very difficult because he had a stroke that left him paralyzed.
half of the body, and on the other hand, he found himself embroiled in a fierce custody battle
of his assets among his children with Mrs. Romano and his second wife.

He dies at the age of 83, on Tuesday, February 17, 2004, at 8:15 PM, in
a hospital in Mexico City, due to a cardiac complication generated
due to pneumonia.

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 Conclusion
José López Portillo y Pacheco is a graduate of the National Autonomous University of
Mexico was a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, a close friend of Luis.
Echeverría was what led him to become secretary of state.

It was this last one who appointed José López Portillo as the presidential candidate.
by the PRI, which led him to become president of Mexico during the period of 1976-1982.

According to history, the government of José López Portillo was immersed in various
nuances, among them the petrolization, and this refers to the economy of our country
it was focused on oil wells, and in the long term caused one of the
stronger economic instabilities in Mexico.

It was also characterized by nepotism as it placed relatives in various positions.

from the state secretariats, of course without many of them having the suitable profile
to successfully develop the assigned position.

Por otra parte, se creó el programa social denominado Coordinación General del Plan
National of Depressed Areas and Marginalized Groups (COPLAMAR), which resulted
a failure that negatively impacted the economy, as well as the people
of fewer resources.

It is worth noting that José López Portillo was the successor of Luis Echeverría, and when
José López Portillo took office, our currency had just been devalued.
during the government of his fancy friend.

In addition to the above, history indicates that one of the elemental promises of the
López Portillo's presidential campaign was the creation of jobs for the
Mexicans, however, the unemployment rate fell by as much as 50%. It also
says that the growth of external debt has surpassed the country.

Another situation that deteriorated our country was the creation and application of the Tax.
Value Added Tax (VAT), and it is said to have become a mandatory tax since
1980, three years after the start of López Portillo's government, without imagining that
currently remains in force in our country.

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Among the facts that can be highlighted as not so negative in his term was the
first visit to Mexico by Pope John Paul II, in 1979.

We can conclude that the government of López Portillo was a corrupt government, that
left our country submerged in a severe economic crisis, without jobs, with more
poverty, filled with nepotism, a Mexico hurt by unfulfilled promises, where
personal interests prevailed as always, to the point that after 32
Years after having been president of Mexico, his family enjoys the looting that López
Portillo made our country

Bibliography

1. González Serrano, R. (1997). "José López Portillo y Pacheco" - Author Detail -

Encyclopedia of Literature in Mexico–FLM–CONACULTA. Encyclopedia of the
literature in Mexico. Mexico. Website: [Link] (extracted on March 20, 2019).
2. Cuellar, M. (2004). 'Corruption, frivolity, and waste, axes of the six-year term'
lopezportillista”. The Journal. Mexico. Website: [Link] (extracted on 20 of
March 2019.
3. Chamber of Deputies LX Legislature (2006). 'Presidential Reports - José López'
Portillo. Mexico. (extracted on March 20, 2019)
4. Pazos, L. (2015). "Devaluation, why?" El Financiero. Website:
[Link] (extracted on March 20, 2019).

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5. Delgado de Cantu,́ G. (2007). "History ́ of Mexico2".
́ Mexico: Pearson
Education.
́ (extracted on March 20, 2019)

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