had a reputation for supporting young talent, who pronounced Elizondo's work “pure silver.” Elizondo wrote for the El Norte and El Porvenir newspapers, wrote biographies of José Vasconcelos and Martín Luis Guzmán along with histories of businesses and institutions. Elizondo also had an administrative and academic career which spanned over three decades. In 1975, he became the director of the General Archives of the State of Nuevo León, continuing until 1979. In 1980 he became the director of Monterrey Tech's special collections, called the Cervantine Library. His career with the institution as head librarian and professor spanned 32 years. He retired from this position two years before his death because of his health. Elizondo was a member of the Academia Mexicana de la Lengua, as well as a member of the Mexican committee of the Memory of the World Programme (UNESCO). Writing style Elizondo's style was costumbrista, chronicling life and change in the towns and cities of his border region. He was one of five authors in the 1980s particularly noted for writing about desert life in northern Mexico, which was named “narrativo del desierto” (desert narrative), along with Daniel Sada of Baja California, Gerardo Cornejo of Sonora, Jesus Gardea of Chihuahua and Serverino Salazar of Zacatecas. His first book was a collection of short stories, Relatos de Mar, Desierto y Muerte (Stories of the Sea, Desert and Death), published in 1980. Several of his works won prizes and other recognitions. Ocurrencias de Don Quijote (1992) received five international awards. Relatos de mar, desierto y muerte received the Premio Nacional de Cuento in 1980. Setenta veces siete won the Premio Colima from the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1987. Books such as Narcedalia Piedrotas (1993) and Setenta veces siete (1987) can be found on college syllabi. He had a passion for photography, which he inherited from his father. In addition to taking photographs, he had a large collection of them from the 19th century. His photographic work made its way into books such as Monterrey, una vision fotográfica, Regiomontanos 1900 and Polvo de aquellos lodos. In 1999, he wrote a commemorative edition on the Palace of Lecumberri on its 100th anniversary (Lecumberri, ángel y escorpión: galería fotográfica del ultimo día) which documented the conversion of the building from prison to the General Archives of the Nation. Work Setenta veces siete (Seventy times seven) Narcedalia Piedrotas Lexicón del noreste de