Remembering Dr. Ricardo Álvarez-Pimentel, 1990 - 2026

The Department of History is mourning the loss of Dr. Ricardo Álvarez-Pimentel. Dr. Álvarez, a historian of Mexico, was a beloved colleague, dedicated teacher and mentor, brilliant scholar, and active member of campus organizations (especially LFSA), community initiatives, and St. Louis Catholic Church. Dr. Álvarez taught courses ranging from HIS 1300: The United States in Global Perspective to HIS 4352: Waco’s Mexican American Experience and worked closely with several of our graduate students. His first book, Counterrevolutionary Women: Race, Gender, and Mexico’s Unfinished Religious Restoration, 1917–1946, will be published this year by University of Nebraska Press. He was especially significant as a convener of scholars in the U.S. and Mexico interested in the history of Mexico and Catholicism. 

As his longtime friend and colleague, Dr. Nathan Ellstrand (SDSU) writes, 

“Ricardo was a dear friend and colleague, who was passionate about making the history of Mexico accessible to fellow scholars and students alike. I met Ricardo during a session as part of the virtual Latin American Studies Association Congress in the middle of the pandemic in mid-2020. We followed up with an online meeting, discussing the need for a community of historians of a topic of shared interest - Catholics and Catholicism in twentieth-century Mexico. That year, we created Historians of Catholic Mexico (HISTCATMEX). Now in its sixth year, it is a free and open academic network across the United States, Mexico, and beyond, organizing a variety of virtual events (seminars, book talks, and archive talks), planning sessions for in-person conferences, and working together to publish collective work like special journal issues. Through HISTCATMEX, I have had the pleasure to get to know Ricardo well. He was an incredibly inclusive academic, always wanting to make sure that scholars and budding scholars across borders had the opportunity to produce and share their work. In that vein, he loved teaching and was so excited to discuss various lesser-known subjects with students. Beyond his work, he was a kind, caring, and reliable friend who was always there for me. I will very much miss him, but his impact and contributions will undoubtedly carry on.”

Dr. Álvarez loved working at Baylor, he loved the work he did as a historian, and he loved his students. We will miss him dearly, and we grieve with his wife, Daniela, and son, Ricardo.

Information about opportunities to celebrate Dr. Alvarez’s life:

• Visitation & Rosary, OakCrest Funeral Home (4520 Bosque Blvd., Waco) – Monday, Oct. 19, 6:00-8:00 p.m CT (Rosary at 7 pm)
• Funeral Mass, St. Louis Catholic Church (2001 North 25th  Street, Waco) – Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1:00 p.m.
• Campus Memorial Service, Powell Chapel, Truett Seminary – Thursday, Oct. 22, 5:00-5:45 p.m.

If you have a memory of Dr. Álvarez that you would like to share for the campus memorial service, you may email that to History_Department@baylor.edu by Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5:00 p.m. 

Livestream of the memorial service will be made available if possible.