Octavio Paz, beyond literature, closer to diplomacy

Abstract

This text discusses Octavio Paz’s career in the Mexican foreign service. It is a period that lasted from 1945 to 1968, which is analyzed from a retrospective that interweaves his diplomatic work, the institutional context in which he worked and the most relevant international events that he witnessed during the 23 years he served as a Mexican diplomat. Although his literary vein is inherent in his performance as a representative of Mexico in various countries and international organizations, his attributes as an internationalist and tenacious critic of the global village that he witnessed are perceptible in his speeches and positions. As mentioned, his passage through the foreign ministry coincided with a generation of prominent diplomats and occurred during the stage that cemented the traits of international behavior for which Mexico has been recognized since then.