Justo Sierra (1848-1912) was a Mexican educator, writer, and historian. As one of Mexico's leading liberal historians and as minister of education, he was responsible for considerable educational reform and expansion during the first decade of the 20th century.

Justo Sierra was born in Campeche, Yucatán, on Jan. 26, 1848. His father, Justo Sierra O'Rielly, was one of Yucatán's foremost intellectuals. Young Sierra studied in Campeche and Mexico City, receiving a law degree at the age of 23. Elected to the Mexican Congress in 1872, he quickly gained a reputation as a formidable debater. He served 2 years on the Supreme Court prior to his designation as subsecretary of justice and public education in 1902. In 1905 he was appointed minister of public education and fine arts, a post which he held until the fall of the regime of Gen. Porfirio Díaz in 1911.

Sierra insisted that educational progress parallel...