Last month, Julio Ortega, professor of Hispanic Studies, was awarded the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor the Mexican government bestows upon a foreigner.
Established in 1933, the Order of the Aztec Eagle is the "highest recognition that the Mexican State gives to those who it deems worth giving by their enormous contributions to Mexico and Mexicans or by their contributions to humanity," said Ricardo Alday, a spokesman for the Mexican Embassy.
Each year, members of the Mexican government suggest candidates for the honor. These names are then considered by the Mexican Foreign Ministry, and the Mexican Congress votes on the most highly qualified nominees.
Ortega, an internationally renowned scholar of Latin American literature, has published roughly 40 books and has been praised by such luminaries as Octavio Paz, a Nobel Prize-winning Mexican writer. Ortega's department has twice been recognized as one of the best in the nation by the National Research Council, and he has been decorated with awards from various countries and universities.
But the Order of the Aztec Eagle "is special because my friendship with Mexico is effective and intellectually rich," Ortega said.
He is currently directing the Transatlantic Project, "an academic initiative to study, do research and teach intercultural history between the Americas and Europe with the common link of the Spanish language," he explained. The project stems from his belief that an isolated culture cannot survive, and in order to thrive, there needs to be exchange between cultures. Ortega said he believes that in 20 years, the United States will be bilingual, and Spanish will no longer be considered a foreign language.
"When you learn Spanish, you acquire a new space in freedom," he said.
This year's recipients also included Seymour Menton, professor emeritus at the University of California at Irvine, and Diana Natalicio, president of the University of Texas at El Paso. Menton's research focuses on Mexican culture and Latin American literature. Natalicio's work deals with creating educational opportunities for talented young people on both sides of the Mexican border. "I was deeply honored to accept (the Order) with Professor Ortega, who is very renowned," Natalicio said. "My award is really enhanced by having received it with him."
