| Silvio Zavala | |
| Birth Date: | 7 February 1909 |
| Birth Place: | Mérida, Yucatán, México |
| Death Place: | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Occupation: | Historian |
| Awards: | Guggenheim Fellowship, 1937 National Prize for Arts and Sciences, 1969 |
Silvio Arturo Zavala Vallado (February 7, 1909 – December 4, 2014) was a Mexican historian who was considered to be a pioneer in law history studies and Mexico’s institutions.
Silvio Zavala was born on February 7, 1909, in Mérida, Yucatán. He studied at the National University of Mexico and at the University of Madrid, where he received a Ph.D. in Law.
He began his professional career in Spain in the Center for Historic Studies in Madrid.
He has been a member of El Colegio Nacional since January 6, 1947, and of the Board of the Chronicle of Mexico City. He received the 1969 National Literature Award; the Vasco de Quiroga Medal (1986); the Rafael Heliodoro Valle Award (1988); the Eligio Ancona Medal; and the Prince of Asturias Award. He served as Ambassador of Mexico in France from 1966 to 1975.
He has written over sixty books and two hundred and fifty articles. In May 2008, at the age of 99, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) bestowed upon him the Acknowledgment to a Lifetime Career to honor his work as a historian, scholar, researcher, thinker and cultural advocate.[1] He died in Mexico City on December 5, 2014, at the age of 105.[2]