USD-Magazine-Spring-2025

A TRADITION OF SERVICE Tovar was born in Mexico City and spent time during his adolescence living abroad in France, England and Italy. His family is deeply connected to Mexican history — his grandfather, José López-Portillo, was the president of Mexico from 1976 to 1982; his father, Rafael Tovar y de Teresa, was the first secretary of culture for the Ministry of Culture and president for the National Council for Culture & Arts; and his mother, Carmen López-Portillo, preceded him as rector at UCSJ. She served as the rector for 25 years and worked at the institution for more than 33 years.

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