Three Nobel laureates came from Mexico. This is the second-highest total in the entire Latin American region. Argentina takes the lead with five.

The Nobel Peace Prize is given to standout personalities in chemistry, diplomacy, and literature. All of the laureates got their education at the National Autonomous University of Mexico or UNAM. Additionally, they spent a significant period in Europe.

Here are the three Mexicans who won the awards:

Alfonso García Robles

Alfonso García Robles is the 1982 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He is a Mexican diplomat and formerly a foreign minister. He was granted the award for his hard work on the promotion of nuclear disarmament.

This Nobel Prize laureate from Mexico was born in the city of Zamora, Michoacán. Originally, García Robles wanted to become a priest. However, he later found a passion for a career in law.

After finishing his studies in Mexico and Europe, García Robles he was able to grab the position of state secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This was the point in his life where he discovered his cause. In the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, he piloted a campaign for nuclear disarmament in Latin America. Primarily, his proposal met disinterest. However, with a great amount of patience and persuasive power, he was able to get 22 nations to sign a treaty to disarm in 1967.

Octavio Paz

In 1990, Octavio Paz was given the Nobel Prize in Literature. At the age of 17, he had published his first collection of poems. Also, he had worked in the diplomatic service where he played the role of the ambassador of Mexico in India.

Piedra de Sol ('Sunstone'), a lengthy and surrealist poem of this Nobel Laureate from Mexico is regarded as one of his best works. The circular structure of the poem was based on the calendar of the Aztecs. Also, the poem addressed themes such as eroticism and death.

Check these out too:

The Swedish Academy said that Paz's masterpiece has multiple layers of meaning. Also, they claim the masterpiece incorporates, interprets, and reconstrue major existential questions, time, love, death, and reality.

Mario José Molina

Mario José Molina, with the other two scientists, was given the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering the chemical processes that deplete the ozone layer of the earth.

The discovery of the scientist had led to the birth of the Montreal Protocol. The Montreal Protocol is a significant environmental treaty that helped phase out the usage of CFC chemicals. CFC chemicals were dangerous substances that damage the earth's ozone layer.

This Nobel laureate from Mexico was born in Mexico. He worked at the University of California. During his work, he and his colleagues made a proposal involving the usage of CFCs in aerosols and plastic foams. These materials seriously damage the earth's ozone. The Protocol they proposed had brought a positive impact on the ozone layer of the earth.