Antonio Ortiz Mena

Who was Antonio Ortiz Mena?

Antonio Ortiz Mena was a Mexican economist who served as President of the Inter-American Development Bank and as Mexico's Secretary of Finance during the administrations of Adolfo López Mateos and Gustavo Díaz Ordaz.

According to Pedro Aspe —who served as Secretary of Finance almost two decades later— during Ortiz' tenure Mexico's per-capita income grew 3.4 percent annually for twelve years and economic growth averaged six percent a year; inflation often remained below three percent, and millions entered the middle class as the country began its transformation from a largely rural economy to an industrial one.