Olga Fernández Latour de Botas

Olga Elena Fernández Latour de Botas (27 March 1935 – 18 October 2025) was an Argentine educator, folklorist, cultural historian, poet and writer who published over 200 works. She was member of the Argentine Academy of Letters and the National Academy of History of Argentina. She was awarded the French Ordre des Palmes académiques.

Early life and education Fernández was born on 27 March 1935 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her father Enrique Fernández Latour worked as an official at the French embassy.

Fernández graduated from the second class of the National Dance School as a teacher of Argentine folk dances. She studied her undergraduate degree at the University of Buenos Aires, then her master's degree and PhD at the University of Salvador (USAL). Her doctoral thesis was on the subject of Marian devotion in Argentine folklore.

Fernández returned to her alma mater, USAL, to teach on folklore. In 1977, Fernández founded the USAL musical therapy programme.

Fernández served on the organisation commissions of the inaugural and 1960 International Folklore Congress, and the 1980 International Congress of Hispanic American Folklore. She was director of the Juan Bautista Alberdi Institute and Library, She was particularly interested in the poetic repertoire of oral traditions. Chevalier dans Ordre des Palmes académiques (2004, France) Independence Medal (Finland)