Rosa Luz Alegría Escamilla (born 1949) is a Mexican

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

who was the first woman to serve in the

Mexican Executive Cabinet The cabinet of Mexico is the Executive Cabinet ( es, Gabinete Legal) and is a part of the executive branch of the Mexican government. It consists of nineteen Secretaries of State and the Legal Counsel of the Federal Executive. In addition to ...

. Alegría studied

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

in the

National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a public research university in Mexico. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in Latin America, where it's also the bigges ...

(UNAM). During her time at the university she got involved with UNAM's ''Consejo General de Huelga'' ("General Strike Council", CGH). During

Luis Echeverría Luis Echeverría Álvarez (; 17 January 1922 – 8 July 2022) was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), who served as the 57th president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. Previously, ...

's presidency she started to work in the public service.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

José López Portillo José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco (; 16 June 1920 – 17 February 2004) was a Mexican writer, lawyer and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 t ...

appointed her

under-secretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

of planning and budget (''Subsecretaria de Programación y Presupuesto''), and later, on August 13, 1980, she was appointed Secretary of Tourism, becoming the first female Secretary of State in Mexico. Alegria's appointment as Secretary of State occurred in an administration famous for

nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...

.José López Portillo (obituary), ''The Economist'', March 4, 2004 accessed a

March 27, 2007

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alegria, Rosa Luz 1949 births Living people 20th-century Mexican physicists Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians Mexican Secretaries of Tourism National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni Politicians from Mexico City Women Secretaries of State of Mexico 20th-century Mexican politicians 20th-century Mexican women politicians 20th-century women scientists