Ignacio M. Garcia

Who is Ignacio M. Garcia?

Ignacio M. Garcia is the Lemuel H. Redd Jr. professor of Western American History at Brigham Young University. He has written five books related to Mexican-American politics and history.

Garcia was born in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico and came to the United States in the mid-fifties. He served as a combat medic in the 477th medical detachment in the U.S. Army and did a tour in Viet Nam, 1971–1972, where he headed the emergency room of the Can Tho Army Airbase dispensary. He received his bachelors degree from Texas A&I University in 1976. He received masters and Ph.D.s from the University of Arizona. While he was a student at the University of Arizona Garcia was serving as bishop of the Spanish-speaking LDS ward in Tucson. He also served as bishop in Corpus Christi, Texas in 1995.

While working on his masters and Ph.D. Garcia taught classes at both the University of Arizona and Pima Community College. From 1993-1995 Garcia was a professor at Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. Since 1995 he has been a professor at BYU. While at BYU Garcia has served on the executive board of the Rey L. Pratt Center for Latin American Studies and the Admissions Committee. He has also served in the Utah Humanities Council, the Tucson Energy Commission and the Utah Judicial Commission for the Fourth District Court.