Erasto Cortés (Tepeaca, Puebla, 1900 - Mexico City, 1972) was a printmaker, painter, writer, and educator. He began his career in the Escuela de Pintura al Aire Libre (Outdoor Painting School) and taught for more than thirty years at La Esmeralda (National School of Painting, Sculpture and Printmaking) and the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas (National School of Fine Arts). He was a member of the Liga de Escritores y Artistas Revolucionarios (League of Revolutionary Artists and Writers), the Taller de la Gráfica Popular (Popular Graphics Workshop), and the Salón de la Gráfica Mexicana (Mexican Graphics Salon)

Alongside his rich artistic output, which featured diverse technical expressions, Cortés published articles and art critiques in newspapers and magazines, and was a member of the Mexican Association of Art Critics. After the death of Leopoldo Méndez, a founding member of the Academy of Arts, Cortés replaced him as a full member of the Academy. Among his contemporaries were Jean Charlot, Federico Cantú, and Gabriel Fernández Ledezma. Cortés was highly active both politically and in the arts.