José López Portillo y Rojas (Guadalajara (Jalisco), 1850 - Mexico City, 1923) was a Mexican politician and writer, father historian José López Portillo y Weber and grandfather of President José López Portillo of Mexico and Pacheco.1

He was born in Guadalajara within a prominent family being the son of the governor of Jalisco Jesús López-Portillo and Serrano who had also been imperial prefect, commissioner and state councilor of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico and his wife Maria Rojas and flowers Tower lady of the Court of Empress Carlota of Mexico.

He studied Law and received in 1871. Traveled through the U.S., Europe and the Middle East and the sites and cultures who knows you used to write the book Egypt and Palestine, Travel Notes (1874).

For a few years he devoted himself to practice and teach their profession. He was attracted to political life, occupying different positions in his hometown congressman, senator and governor of Jalisco in 1911, in addition to Foreign Minister of the government of Victoriano Huerta. After the revolutionary movement is mainly engaged in teaching and literature.1

The May 31, 1892, he was appointed corresponding member of the Mexican Academy of Language and member number in 1903. Took possession of the chair IV on August 4, 1905. Served as secretary and in 1916 was appointed director of the institution, a position he held until his death.2 López Portillo wrote works legal, philosophical, political, historical and religious. He cultivated almost all literary genres: poetry, short story, novel, drama, literary criticism and journalism. But his best known works are the novels that plasma nationalism. The highlights of its production Plot, The Indian race, Six Legends and Law and Political Economy.