Adolfo López Mateos (1910-1969) served as president of Mexico from 1958 to 1964, a time in which Mexico was attempting to redefine its national goals. His administration was one of the most successful of the post World War II period.

Adolfo López Mateos was born in the village of Atizapán de Zaragoza in 1910, only a few months before the Mexican Revolution against Porfiro Díaz broke out. After completing his primary and secondary education in Toluca he moved to Mexico City and received his law degree from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. His legal training provided his entree into politics. In 1934, during the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas, he became a regional secretary of the Partido Nacional Revolucionario, the predecessor of today's official party, the Partido Revolucionario Institucional.

Moving from behind the political scene into the limelight he served...