William Michael Mathes (April 15, 1936 – August 13, 2012) was an American historian and academic who focused on the histories of Mexico and Spain.

[1] CAREM supported Mathes' work, including his most recent The Land of Calafia: A Brief History of Baja California.

[1] Mathes is also credited with persuading the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH), the Mexican government bureau charged with preservation and research, to open a new regional office in Mexicali, so the archaeological and historical collections and investigations would be managed locally, rather than from an existing INAH office in Sonora.

[1] At the time of his death, Mathes was scheduled to deliver a presentation called "From Sinaloa and Sonora: the Families of the First Soldiers in Alta California" at the sixth meeting of the Early San Diego Regional History Conference on October 27, 2012.

In 1985, the Mexican government awarded Mathes the Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest decoration bestowed on foreign citizens.