Dr. Alejandro Tortolero Villaseñor studied a Bachelor's degree in Humanities with a specialization in History and a Master's degree in Economic History at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa. He holds a PhD in History and Civilizations from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris.

Among various recognitions, he has received the Scientific Research Award in Social Sciences from the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the National Regional History Award, Banamex - "Atanasio G. Saravia," and a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

He was a member of the UNESCO Advisory Committee for the History of Water and held the Alfonso Reyes Chair at the University of Paris (2006-2007) and the Chair of Mexican Studies at the University of Toulouse (2009-2010). Additionally, he has been a visiting professor at various universities, including Harvard, Seville, Costa Rica, Berlin, Paris, and California.

He has published the books “From the Coa to the Steam Engine: Agricultural Activity and Technological Innovation in Mexican Haciendas, 1880-1914”; “Water and Its History: Mexico and Its Challenges Toward the 21st Century”; “Notaries and Farmers: Growth and Underdevelopment in the Mexican Countryside, 1780-1920”; and "Thinking with Numbers: French Banking and Investments in Mexico, 1880-1929." He is also the coordinator of “Land, Water, and Forests: History and Environment in Central Mexico” and “Between Lakes and Volcanoes: Chalco-Amecameca. Past and Present.”

His main lines of research focus on the ecological, economic, and technological history of Mexico from the 18th to the 20th centuries.