Mathes received his BS from
Loyola University in Los Angeles, his MA from the
University of Southern California, and his PhD from the
University of New Mexico,. Mathes spearheaded fundraising efforts for CAREM, a
non-profit historical society based in
Tecate,
Baja California, which promotes the history of
Baja California. Mathes's efforts in support of CAREM helped lead to the construction of its museum in Tecate; the organization named the museum's auditorium in honor of Mathes. CAREM supported Mathes' work, including his most recent
The Land of Calafia: A Brief History of Baja California. 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. In 2012, Mathes was working jointly with
INAH, CAREM, and the
Ministry of Tourism of Baja California to seek
UNESCO World Heritage status for the
El Camino Real de las Californias, a Spanish mission trail spanning the states of Baja California Sur, Baja California, and
California. Mathes died in
Lubbock, Texas, on August 13, 2012, at the age of 76. His death was reported in the Tijuana-based
Frontera newspaper by historian
Mario Ortiz Villacorta. 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. He was survived by a daughter, Ann M. Mathes (Annie), who resided in California and was pursuing her AS degree in Veterinary Technology. ==A partial listing of works authored by Mathes==