Carlos Alejandro Tello Macías (4 November 1938 – 30 July 2024) was a Mexican socialist-oriented economist, academic, and diplomat.
He was an ambassador to
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
and the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, the director-general of the
central bank
A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...
(1982), and the (1976–77) in the cabinet of President
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 ...
.
According to a document distributed in the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
by his political rivals (including some members of his own party), he was responsible for the high
inflation rate
In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
(which surpassed 100 percent) and the significant increase of the
external debt
A country's gross external debt (or foreign debt) is the liabilities that are owed to nonresidents by residents. The debtors can be government, governments, corporation, corporations or citizens. External debt may be denominated in domestic or f ...
(which grew from
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
8.6 billion to 92.4 billion) during López Portillo's administration.
Biography
Tello Macías was born in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, where his parents,
Manuel Tello Baurraud and Guadalupe Macías Viadero, were serving as Mexican diplomats.
He received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...
(1955–58), a master's degree in Economics from
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
(1958–59) and a doctorate in the same discipline from
King's College,
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
(1961–63).
Tello joined the
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party (, , PRI) is a List of political parties in Mexico, political party in Mexico that was founded in 1929 as the National Revolutionary Party (, PNR), then as the Party of the Mexican Revolution (, PRM) and fin ...
(PRI) in 1976. In 1975–76 he was an undersecretary at the
Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit
The Secretariat of the Treasury and Public Credit (, SHCP) is the finance ministry of Mexico. The Secretary of the Treasury is the head of the department, and is a member of the federal executive cabinet, appointed to the post by the President ...
(SHCP). In 1976, President
López Portillo appointed him to head the newly created ; he remained in that position until he was forced to resign following a long and bitter dispute with the Secretary of Finance,
Julio Rodolfo Moctezuma
Julio Rodolfo Moctezuma Cid (March 24, 1927 – August 4, 2000) was a Mexican lawyer who served as the first Secretary of Finance (1976–77) in the cabinet of President José López Portillo, as director-general of Pemex (1981–82) and as dir ...
.
In September 1982, López Portillo appointed him director-general of the
Bank of Mexico
The Bank of Mexico (), abbreviated ''BdeM'' or ''Banxico,'' is Mexico's central bank, monetary authority and lender of last resort. The Bank of Mexico is autonomous in exercising its functions, and its main objective is to achieve stability in th ...
, where he played a key role in the controversial announced by the president in the final months of his term.
He was replaced at the central bank in November 1982 by
Miguel Mancera Aguayo, who opposed his
foreign exchange controls
Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents, on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents, or the transfers of any currency across national b ...
strategy.
In 1990, President
Carlos Salinas de Gortari
Carlos Salinas de Gortari (; born 3 April 1948) is a Mexicans, Mexican economist, historían and former politician who served as the 60th president of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Considered the frontman of Mexican Neoliberalism by formulating, p ...
appointed him ambassador to the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
, where he served until 1992. In 1994 he was named ambassador to Cuba.
In the latter part of the 1990s, President
Ernesto Zedillo
Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...
selected him to head the
National Indigenist Institute.
As an academic, he read several courses at the
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
(UNAM) (1960–87), at (1964–79), at the
(ECLAC) and worked as a researcher for over nine years at the
National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) (1978–87).
He also worked as a guest scholar at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) or Wilson Center is a Washington, D.C.–based think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topi ...
at
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
(1984) and as a visiting researcher at the Center for Mexican–United States Studies at the
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego in communications material, formerly and colloquially UCSD) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in San Diego, California, United States. Es ...
(1984–85).
In 2016, the UNAM named him Professor Emeritus for "his exceptional teaching over more than 30 years and his notable work as a researcher in the field of economics".
Personal life
Tello Macías was the son of
Manuel Tello Baurraud (1898–1971), who was twice
secretary of foreign affairs. His brother,
Manuel Tello Macías, also served as foreign secretary.
Tello Macías was married to Catalina Díaz Casasús,
a descendant of President
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...
.
He had three children, among them, historian , author of .
Tello Macías died on 30 July 2024, at the age of 85.
Selected works
Tello Macías published more than 20 books,
including:
* ("Letters from Moscow", 1994)
* ("State and Economic Development: Mexico 1920–2006", 2008)
* ("The Nationalization of the Mexican Banking System", 1984)
References
External links
Semblanza: Dr. Carlos Alejandro Tello Macías(UNAM)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tello Macias, Carlos
1938 births
2024 deaths
Mexican diplomats
Mexican economists
Heads of Bank of Mexico
Institutional Revolutionary Party politicians
Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico
University of California, San Diego faculty
Academic staff of El Colegio de México
McDonough School of Business alumni
Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni
Alumni of King's College, Cambridge