This page preserves the professional legacy of Mexican journalist Luis Ariel Ramos Guzmán, whose career spanned several decades of modern Mexican history. Beginning as a young assistant in the world of magazines and political journalism, he later joined El Universal as a reporter and rose to become Deputy General Director of the newspaper.
Author’s Original Autobiographical Account
The following biographical narrative was written directly by Luis Ariel Ramos Guzmán and has been preserved by his family. Minor corrections involving punctuation, spacing and clearly identifiable names may be noted separately, without altering the substance of his account.
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Luis Ariel Ramos was born in Mexico City in July of 1932. At the age of eleven and a half he began his journalism career when he became Don Gregorio Ortega’s assistant, then Director of ASI magazine and the most outstanding Mexican political analyst in history.
He worked as a photo archivist, crystal maker, accounts collector and advertising agent; in 1946 he worked under Don José Pages Llergo, Director of Hoy magazine. Years later, he worked in the tri-weekly ATISBOS, which was led by Don René Ca pistrán Garza, who as a young man was President of the ACJM (Mexican Association of Catholic Youth) and who beat the representatives of the Revolutionary Workers Confederation in a memorable oratory contest and was also exiled by the government of Plutarco Elías Calles. In May 19th 1957 he began his work at the editorial offices of EL UNIVERSAL, the legendary Mexican newspaper, as a reporter. In 1972 he became the Deputy General Director of El Universal, a position he held until his retirement. From that day on, was on permanent assignment at the newspaper, covering the arrival of the first Mexican Cardinal, José Garb Rivera, traveling with him from Mexico City to Guadalajara, were he was Archbishop. For 10 years, he accompanied Doctor Alfonso Caso, General Director of the National Indigenous Institute during the tours he took of the majority of Pre-Columbian areas of Mexican Mesoamerica. As a special correspondent, he covered the 1964 Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS) during which it was agreed to block Cuba after a majority vote. |
In November of that same year, he accompanied Mrs. Eva Sámano de López Mateos during the inauguration of President Eduardo Frei Sr. in Chile. At Isla Negra he interviewed poet Pablo Neruda and in Santiago he interviewed Dr. Salvador Allende.One year later, he traveled to the Federal Republic of Germany covering different cultural, political and social events for three months in this great nation.He traveled throughout all the countries in Latin America interviewing the presidents of these nations (with the exception of Bolivia and Paraguay).In 1968 he witnessed the events of the student movement that was infiltrated from the beginning by the Red Unions, who provided financial backing and thousands of workers that participated in the marches that changed Mexico. As Sub-General Director of El Universal he led the removal of reporters who received juicy economic stipends from the sources they covered and promoted the arrival of new reporters who, with a new mystique and honesty, changed the face of the daily, which had been semi-paralyzed by the collapse of its circulation and the absence of its commercial advertising.In 1981 he was named Secretary-For-Life of the Advisory Board for Latin America at UPI (United Press International).
UPI – United Press International
Mr. Ramos was the executive President of ideas4solutions, a Latin American opinion organization. For the last eight years, he contributed the informative column about Mexico every Monday, until June 22, 2014 when he passed away. He will be missed! A few articles, books and comments mentioning Ariel Ramos;
Selected Documentary References
Independent Academic Confirmation from the National Autonomous University of MexicoAn academic study preserved in an official repository of the National Autonomous University of Mexico provides independent confirmation of Ariel Ramos Guzmán’s executive position at El Universal. The study, titled Las relaciones de producción en los medios masivos de comunicación, examines the ownership, labor organization and administrative structure of Mexico’s principal mass-media organizations. In its discussion of Compañía Periodística Nacional, S.A., the publishing company responsible for El Universal, the study identifies Ariel Ramos Guzmán as Deputy General Director of El Universal. He is listed as part of the organization’s senior leadership alongside Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, María Dolores Lanz Duret de Ealy, Gaspar Rivera Barrios, Daniel López Barroso, Fernando Jorge Xiquelme and Manuel Mejido. The original Spanish-language study identifies him as:
This academic reference is significant because it provides independent institutional evidence that Ariel Ramos Guzmán was not only a reporter and special correspondent. He also occupied the senior executive position of Deputy General Director of El Universal and formed part of the newspaper’s principal administrative leadership. The study also describes El Universal as one of Mexico’s longest-established newspapers and discusses the broader publishing organization associated with the newspaper, including El Universal Gráfico, regional editions and the sports newspaper La Afición. Academic source: Las relaciones de producción en los medios masivos de comunicación, document preserved in an institutional repository of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, printed pages 102–103. Consult the UNAM document: Other sources: Is impossible to describe/mention all the articles that ARIEL RAMOS wrote as a journalist, but we share some of them:
 Hemerografia sobre el movimiento estudiantil 1968. UNAM
“Gigantesco mitin en el Zócalo. Muchos discursos pero ningún arreglo; insisten en sus demandas”, El Universal, miércoles 14 de agosto de 1968, p. 1” Ariel Ramos. (De Tlatelolco a Ayotzinapa, Las violencias del Estado – Pág. 61).
Selected Published References“Murió Ariel Ramos, ex director de El Universal”English title: “Ariel Ramos, Former Executive of El Universal, Dies” This memorial article remembers Luis Ariel Ramos Guzmán as a former senior executive of El Universal, a close friend of the author and Executive President of Ideas4Solutions. “Alegres recuerdos y ojos vidriosos”English title: “Happy Memories and Tearful Eyes” This personal tribute describes Ariel Ramos as “a pillar of journalism in Mexico” and recalls his professional progression from reporter to Deputy General Director of El Universal. “Y quién habla de ellas”English title: “And Who Speaks About Them?” In this column about women journalists in Mexico, Sánchez Limón recalls that the editorial team at El Universal worked under the direction of Deputy General Director Ariel Ramos Guzmán. “Gigantesco mitin en el Zócalo. Muchos discursos pero ningún arreglo; insisten en sus demandas”English title: “Massive Rally in the Zócalo: Many Speeches but No Agreement; Protesters Maintain Their Demands” This contemporaneous report documented one of the largest demonstrations of the Mexican student movement of 1968. “Hace 50 años se realizó una de las mayores marchas del movimiento estudiantil en México”English title: “Fifty Years Ago, One of Mexico’s Largest Student Movement Marches Took Place” This historical retrospective recovers Ariel Ramos’s original reporting on the student demonstration of August 13, 1968 and identifies him as the reporter who documented the scale and duration of the march. De Tlatelolco a Ayotzinapa: Las violencias del EstadoEnglish title: From Tlatelolco to Ayotzinapa: State Violence The book cites Ariel Ramos’s August 14, 1968 front-page report in El Universal as a documentary source concerning the Mexican student movement. México 68: The Students, the President and the CIASpanish reference title: México 68: Los estudiantes, el presidente y la CIA This study examines the political decisions, student mobilization and intelligence activity surrounding the events of 1968. It should be included as a related historical source only when the exact page citing Ariel Ramos has been confirmed. “Murió Ariel Ramos, ex director de El Universal” — RepublicationEnglish title: “Ariel Ramos, Former Executive of El Universal, Dies” This is a republication of the memorial article originally published by Diario al Momento. It should not be counted as a separate independent source. CITATIONSCampa Landeros, Mario Andrés. “Murió Ariel Ramos, ex director de El Universal” [“Ariel Ramos, Former Executive of El Universal, Dies”]. Diario al Momento, August 30, 2014. Llop, Rodrigo. “Alegres recuerdos y ojos vidriosos” [“Happy Memories and Tearful Eyes”]. Ideas4Solutions, June 24, 2014. Sánchez Limón, Moisés. “Y quién habla de ellas” [“And Who Speaks About Them?”]. Originally published March 10, 2015; republished by Etcétera, March 11, 2021. Ramos, Ariel. “Gigantesco mitin en el Zócalo. Muchos discursos pero ningún arreglo; insisten en sus demandas” [“Massive Rally in the Zócalo: Many Speeches but No Agreement; Protesters Maintain Their Demands”]. El Universal, August 14, 1968, p. 1. El Universal. “Hace 50 años se realizó una de las mayores marchas del movimiento estudiantil en México” [“Fifty Years Ago, One of Mexico’s Largest Student Movement Marches Took Place”]. August 14, 2018. Aguayo, Sergio. De Tlatelolco a Ayotzinapa: Las violencias del Estado [From Tlatelolco to Ayotzinapa: State Violence]. 2015. Aguayo, Sergio. México 68: The Students, the President and the CIA. 2018.
Luis Ariel Ramos – Rest in Peace.You can find his twitter at @luisarielramos BIO LUIS ARIEL RAMOS (ESP)Nació en la Ciudad de México en Julio de 1932; a los once años y medio de edad se inició en el periodismo al ingresar como ayudante de don Gregorio Ortega, director de la revista ASI y desde entonces, el mejor analista político en la historia del periodismo mexicano.Fue archivista de fotografía, formador de cristales, cobrador y agente de publicidad; en 1946 trabajó a las órdenes de don José Pagés Llergo, Director de la revista HOY. Años después trabajó en el trisemanario ATISBOS, que dirigía don René Capistrán Garza, quien durante su juventud fue Presidente de la ACJM, y en memorable concurso de oratoria, derroto a los representantes de la Confederación Revolucionaria de Obreros –CROM-; quien fuera enviado al exilio por el gobierno de Plutarco Elías Calles. El 19 de Mayo de 1957 ingresó a la redacción de EL UNIVERSAL, periódico decano del DF, como reportero y en 1972 se convierte en el Subdirector General, puesto que ejerce hasta su jubilación. A partir de esa fecha tuvo a su cargo fuentes permanentes para el periódico habiéndole tocado cubrir la llegada del primer cardenal mexicano, Jose Garibí Rivera, acompañándolo en su recorrido desde el DF hasta la ciudad de Guadalajara de la que era Arzobispo. Acompañó durante 10 años al Doctor Alfonso Caso, director general del Instituto Nacional Indigenista, en las giras que hizo a la mayoría de las zonas precolombinas de Mesoamérica mexicano. Cubrió como enviado especial en Julio de 1964 la Asamblea de la Organización de Estados Americanos (OEA), durante la cual se voto mayoritariamente por bloquear a Cuba. En Noviembre de ese mismo año, acompañó a la Sra. Eva Sámano de López Mateos, a la toma de posesión del Presidente Eduardo Feir (Padre), en Chile. En la Isla Negra entrevistó al poeta Pablo Neruda y en la ciudad de Santiago entrevistó al doctor Salvador Allende. Un año después viajó a la República Federal de Alemania durante tres meses cubriendo diferentes aspectos culturales, políticos y sociales de esa gran nación. En 1968 presenció todos los acontecimientos del movimiento estudiantil, que fue penetrado desde su inicio por los Sindicatos Rojos, al proporcionar fondos económicos y miles de trabajadores que participaron en las marchas que cambiaron a México. Como Sub-Director General del Universal propicio el retiro de los reporteros que recibían en las fuentes informativas que cubrían, jugosos estipendios económicos y propicio la llegada de nuevos reporteros que con otra mística y honestidad que cambiaron la cara al Diario, semiparalizado por el desplome de su circulación y la ausencia de su publicidad comercial. En 1981 fue designado Secretario vitalicio de la Junta Asesora Latinoamericana de la UPI (United Press International). Fue Presidente Ejecutivo de ideas4solutions organización de opiniones en América Latina, escribió todos los Lunes desde hace ocho años la nota informativa de México hasta el 22 de Junio de 2014, cuando falleció. Siempre recordado. Alegres recuerdos y ojos vidriosos.Pueden encontrar su twitter @luisarielramos https://www.flickr.com/photos/ideas4solutions/7918592380/in/set-72157631489804118  Luis Ariel Ramos (aka Ariel Ramos Guzman) and the President Ronald Reagan.
Mexican President Enrique Nieto y Luis Ariel Ramos Guzman.  Luis Ariel Ramos (RIP) with several Presidents from Mexico since 1958 to 2014. ___________________________ Archival Sources and Verification LinksThe following sources are provided so that readers, researchers and members of the public may independently consult the documentary record associated with the career of Luis Ariel Ramos Guzmán. The links include historical articles preserved or republished by El Universal, institutional catalogs, government document collections and academic records. Some sources reproduce complete or partial archival materials, while others provide bibliographic or institutional confirmation. 1. Official Visit of President John F. Kennedy to MexicoReferenced article by Ariel Ramos: Professional credit: Original reporting period: Type of source: Verification link: The page reproduces the title of Ramos’s report and identifies him directly as a staff writer for El Universal. 2. Official Visit of Prince Philip to MexicoReferenced reports by Ariel Ramos: Professional credit: Original reporting period: Type of source: Verification link: The retrospective documents several reports attributed to Ariel Ramos during Prince Philip’s official visit. 3. Inauguration and Early Operation of the Mexico City MetroReferenced article by Ariel Ramos: Professional credit: Original publication date: Type of source: Verification link: This source preserves Ramos’s professional credit and discusses his reporting on the first days of operation of the Metro. 4. Additional Historical Record of the Mexico City MetroSubject: Type of source: Verification link: This source provides additional context for the newspaper’s historical coverage of the Metro and the reporting associated with Ariel Ramos. 5. Visit of the Apollo 11 Astronauts to MexicoReferenced article by Ariel Ramos: Subject: Original reporting period: Type of source: Verification link: The article preserves the historical record of Ramos’s reporting on Mexico’s reception of the Apollo 11 astronauts. 6. Additional Apollo 11 Archival ReferenceSubject: Type of source: Verification link: This account identifies archival reporting used by El Universal to reconstruct the astronauts’ visit, including the work of Ariel Ramos. 7. The Student Movement of 1968Referenced reporting by Ariel Ramos: Related article title: Original publication: Type of source: Verification link: The retrospective attributes to Ariel Ramos a detailed description of the size and duration of the marching column. 8. The 1965 “Flying Saucers” Gathering in Mexico CitySubject: Original reporting date: Type of source: Verification link: The column references Ramos’s contemporary account of the crowds, traffic and police response. 9. Reporting from the Sierra TarahumaraAuthor: Professional credit: Location and date: Subject: Type of source: Direct document link: This record supports Ramos’s autobiographical account of his extensive reporting on Indigenous Mexico and his work as a special correspondent. 10. “El progreso de los pueblos indígenas”Author: Publication: Issue: Year: Type of source: Verification link: This institutional record credits Ariel Ramos as the author of “El progreso de los pueblos indígenas.” 11. Special Correspondent in Santiago, ChileAuthor: Professional credit: Location and date: Historical context: Type of source: Direct document link: This record independently confirms that Ramos was reporting from Santiago as a special correspondent for El Universal during the period described in his autobiography. The document confirms his presence and professional assignment in Chile. His reported interviews with Pablo Neruda and Salvador Allende remain subjects of continuing archival research. 12. Mexican Foreign Policy ReportingReferenced title: Author: Professional credit: Subject: Type of source: Direct document link: The surviving document provides additional evidence of Ramos’s work as a staff writer covering international affairs. 13. Confirmation of His Position as Deputy General DirectorName recorded: Position recorded: Institution: Type of source: Verification link: The study identifies members of the senior administrative structure of El Universal and explicitly lists Ariel Ramos Guzmán as subdirector general. This is an independent documentary source confirming that Ramos served in the senior leadership of the newspaper. 14. Institutional Correspondence from 1980Document: Date: Recipient: Description: Type of source: Verification link: The record provides supporting evidence of Ramos’s institutional and editorial responsibilities at El Universal in 1980. Because archival catalog pages may change their internal navigation, researchers may also search the archive for the terms:
15. Independent Journalistic Reference to His Executive PositionName: Position described: Author of reference: Type of source: Verification link: This reference independently identifies Ariel Ramos as the then Deputy General Director of El Universal. 16. Additional Reference to Ariel Ramos Guzmán as Subdirector GeneralName: Position: Type of source: Verification link: This reference provides additional independent testimony concerning Ramos’s executive position and involvement in matters affecting the journalistic profession. 17. Autobiographical SourceAuthor: Type of source: Verification link: This account is the principal source for the personal narrative of his childhood, early work in journalism, international assignments, editorial reforms and later professional activities. Information drawn exclusively from this account is identified throughout the biography as autobiographical testimony while additional documentation is sought. Notes on the Use of These SourcesThe inclusion of a link does not mean that every statement in the biography has been independently verified. The sources have different documentary functions:
Some links lead to modern historical retrospectives rather than to the original newspaper edition. In those cases, the retrospective is cited because it reproduces, identifies or discusses material held in the historical archive of El Universal. Direct PDF links from institutional collections may load slowly or may require the reader to open them in a separate browser window. Archival links can also change as institutions redesign their websites. For long-term preservation, the family archive should record the following information for every source:
Date of digital source review: August 5, 2026. Research and Copyright StatementThis page is a noncommercial family, historical and educational tribute to Mexican journalist Luis Ariel Ramos Guzmán. Article titles, limited quotations, bibliographic references and verification links are included for identification, commentary, historical research and preservation. Copyright in the original newspaper articles, photographs, page designs and institutional documents remains with the respective lawful rights holders. Links are provided to the websites of the institutions that preserve or publish the referenced material. No affiliation with, sponsorship by or endorsement from El Universal, the National Autonomous University of Mexico, United Press International or any other referenced institution is claimed or implied.
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