Alfredo López Austin

Alfredo Federico López Austin (born in Ciudad Juárez, México, March 12, 1936) is a Mexican historian who has written extensively on the Aztec worldview and on Mesoamerican religion. As an academic teacher, he has inspired generations of students, but his influence extends beyond the boundaries of academic life. His son is the renowned archaeologist, Leonardo López Luján.

López Austin first attended law school and worked as a lawyer in his hometown. His academic association with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM, Mexico's autonomous national university), where he was a student, spans some fifty years, and as of 2007 he still holds a position as a researcher (emeritus) at UNAM's Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas (IIA, or Institute of Anthropological Research). López Austin lectures in the History department of UNAM's Faculty of Philosophy and Literature, the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras (FFyL).