The aim of this article is to carry out a study of the aesthetic value of El arco y la lira (1992) by Octavio Paz. The methodology consists of adopting some premises from the study El ensayo: entre la aventura y el orden (2000), by Jaime Albert Vélez, in order to point out certain characteristics of El arco y la lira as a literary essay. In the development of this research, an important conclusion is that Octavio Paz, in contrast to many other writers in the same genre, uses a kind of language which is quite particular, in the sense that he favours short and aphoristic sentences. Furthermore, the analysis shows that Paz favours a poetic, enigmatic and paradoxical language, with the purpose of embarking on an epistemological adventure. © 2018 Liverpool University Press. All rights reserved.