Alberto Baltazar Urista Heredia (born August 8, 1947), better known by his nom de plume Alurista, is an American poet and activist.

He graduated from high school in 1965 and began studying business administration at Chapman University in Orange County, California.

He disliked the field, however, and transferred to San Diego State University (SDSU) to study religion.

He held several jobs, including working for the Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) program, part of the Lyndon B. Johnson administration's War on Poverty.

In 1969, he attended the First National Chicano Youth Liberation Conference, hosted by Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales's Crusade for Justice, and read a poem to the attendees.

The poem so moved the youth present that they adopted it as the preamble of the Plan Espiritual de Aztlán, the political manifesto of the Chicano Movement.

"[4] In the 1970s, Alurista organized the Festival Floricanto, an annual event that convened Chicano writers and critics to share and critique their work.

In addition to his own poetry, Alurista has written works of non-fiction, literary criticism, and many essays on Chicano culture and history.

He is credited with popularizing the Chicano Movement-era concept of "Aztlán" and imbuing it with a spiritual dimension through his poetry.

Spiritually, Urista identifies as both a Buddhist[4] and a Roman Catholic, as well as acknowledging indigenous practices such as the sweat lodge.

He is the cofounder of multiple academic and community organizations, such as Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan at San Diego State, Concilio for la Justicia, Centro Cultural de la Raza, and the Department of Chicano Studies at San Diego State University.