Ollin Yoliztli Prize

Ollin Yoliztli Prize
Awarded for	Lifetime achievement of Spanish language authors and poets
Sponsored by	Government of Mexico
Location	Festival Internacional Cervantino Guanajuato, Mexico
Presented by	President of Mexico
Reward(s)	about 6 million pesos
First awarded	1980
Last awarded	1983
Currently held by	Octavio Paz Jorge Luis Borges Jorge Guillen

The Ollin Yoliztli Prize (Spanish: Premio Ollin Yoliztli) was a prestigious but short-lived international prize that was bestowed by the President of Mexico for three consecutive years — 1980, 1981, and 1982 — to living Spanish literature poets, novelists, essayists, and playwrights.

The Ollin Yoliztli Prize was open to all Spanish language writers of literature. The recognition was for collective works rather than any single work and was structured to be presented in any of the four literary genres: poetry, novels, essays, and drama.

Ollín yoliztli, means "life movement" or "life force" in Náhuatl. The prize each year was presented by the President of Mexico, José López Portillo. His sister, Margarita López Portillo (2014–2006), was a prolific novelist and his wife, Carmen Romano, was an exponent of fine arts and humanities.

The President's wife established the prize to promote Spanish literature and its important authors — and to strengthen cultural links among Spanish speaking countries. She was instrumental in launching several large-scale cultural programs, which led to the founding of The National Fund for Social Activities (Spanish: Fondo Nacional para Actividades Sociales), commonly know by its acronym, FONAPAS. She prevailed in initiatives to make fine arts more accessible, particularly for low-income and young people. Her initiatives included erecting new fine arts venues and establishing professional orchestras. One such venue in Mexico City, which opened in 1979, bears the named Ollín Yoliztli Cultural Center . The center is the home of several cultural organizations, including the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, founded in 1978.

While many cultural initiatives of Portillo and his wife endure today, the economic, diplomatic, and cultural wisdom of their efforts was not without criticism. In particular, critics viewed their cultural initiatives as wasteful and part of a larger scheme of building personal projects with public money. Control of a wide range of projects was assigned to family members and close associates. Portillo's presidency ended in November 1982. But criticism was amplified toward the end of his term, starting in February 1982, after a sharp devaluation of the peso and ensuing economic crisis. The succession-continuity of the Ollin Yolilztli Prize ended when Portillo's presidential term ended.

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