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The National Autonomous University of Mexico ( es, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
in
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. It is consistently ranked as one of the best universities in
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, where it's also the biggest in terms of enrollment. A portion of UNAM's main campus in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, known as '' Ciudad Universitaria'' (University City), is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designed by some of Mexico's best-known architects of the 20th century and hosted the
1968 Summer Olympic Games The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
. Murals in the main campus were painted by some of the most recognized artists in Mexican history, such as Diego Rivera and
David Alfaro Siqueiros David Alfaro Siqueiros (born José de Jesús Alfaro Siqueiros; December 29, 1896 – January 6, 1974) was a Mexican social realist painter, best known for his large public murals using the latest in equipment, materials and technique. Along with ...
. With acceptance rates usually below 10%, and its research, especially in Artificial Intelligence, being recognized by UNESCO as one of the most impactful globally, UNAM is known for its high quality research and educational level. All Mexican Nobel laureates are either alumni or faculty of UNAM. UNAM was founded, in its modern form, on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a secular alternative to its predecessor, the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (the first Western-style university in North America, founded in 1551). UNAM obtained administrative autonomy from the government in 1929. This has given the university the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without government interference. This has had a profound effect on academic life at the university, which some claim boosts academic freedom and independence. UNAM was also the birthplace of the student movement of 1968.


History

Its founding goes back to 1551, when
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
, king of Spain (Charles V, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) decreed the foundation of the University of Mexico. The university was renamed on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra, then minister of education in the
Porfirio Díaz José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori ( or ; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915), known as Porfirio Díaz, was a Mexican general and politician who served seven terms as President of Mexico, a total of 31 years, from 28 November 1876 to 6 Decem ...
regime, who sought to create a very different institution from its 19th-century precursor, the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, which had been founded on 21 September 1551 by a royal decree signed by
Crown Prince A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
Phillip II on behalf of Charles I of Spain and brought to a definitive closure in 1865 by
Maximilian I of Mexico Maximilian I (german: Ferdinand Maximilian Josef Maria von Habsburg-Lothringen, link=no, es, Fernando Maximiliano José María de Habsburgo-Lorena, link=no; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian archduke who reigned as the only Emperor ...
. Instead of reviving what he saw as an anachronistic institution with strong ties to the
Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, he aimed to merge and expand Mexico City's decentralized colleges of higher education (including former faculties of the old university) and create a new university, secular in nature and national in scope, that could reorganize higher education within the country, serve as a model of
positivism Positivism is an empiricist philosophical theory that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positive—meaning ''a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. G ...
and encompass the ideas of the dominant Mexican liberalism. The project initially unified the Fine Arts, Business, Political Science, Jurisprudence, Engineering, Medicine, Normal, and the National Preparatory schools; its first rector was Joaquin Eguía y Lis. The new university's challenges were mostly political, due to the ongoing
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
and the fact that the federal government had direct control over the university's policies and curriculum; some resisted its establishment on philosophical grounds. This opposition led to disruptions in the function of the university when political instability forced resignations in the government, including that of President Díaz. Internally, the first student strike occurred in 1912 to protest examination methods introduced by the director of the School of Jurisprudence,
Luis Cabrera Lobato Luis Vicente Cabrera Lobato (July 17, 1876 – April 12, 1954) was a Mexican lawyer, politician and writer.
. By July of that year, a majority of the law students decided to abandon the university and join the newly created
Free School of Law Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procure ...
. In 1914 initial efforts to gain autonomy for the university failed. In 1920, José Vasconcelos became rector. In 1921, he created the school's coat-of-arms: the image of an eagle and a condor surrounding a map of Latin America, from Mexico's northern border to
Tierra del Fuego Tierra del Fuego (, ; Spanish for "Land of the Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of the main island, Isla G ...
, and the motto, "The Spirit shall speak for my people". Efforts to gain autonomy for the university continued in the early 1920s. In the mid-1920s, the second wave of student strikes opposed a new grading system. The strikes included major classroom walkouts in the law school and confrontation with police at the medical school. The striking students were supported by many professors and subsequent negotiations eventually led to autonomy for the university. The institution was no longer a dependency of the Secretariat of Public Education; the university rector became the final authority, eliminating much of the confusing overlap in authority. During the early 1930s, the rector of UNAM was
Manuel Gómez Morín Manuel Gómez Morín (27 February 1897 – 19 April 1972) was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians. Prior to this he was considered a leading figure in Mexican monetary policy, ...
. The government attempted to implement socialist education at Mexican universities, which Gómez Morín, many professors, and Catholics opposed as an infringement on academic freedom. Gómez Morín with the support of the
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
-founded student group, the Unión Nacional de Estudiantes Católicos, successfully fought against socialist education. UNAM supported the recognition of the academic certificates by Catholic preparatory schools, which validated their educational function. UNAM played an important role in the founding of the Jesuit institution in 1943, the in 1943. However, UNAM opposed initiatives at the in later years, opposing the establishment of majors in industrial relations and communications. In 1943 initial decisions were made to move the university from the various buildings it occupied in the city center to a new and consolidated university campus; the new '' '' (lit. University City) would be in San Ángel, to the south of the city. The first stone laid was that of the faculty of Sciences, the first building of . President Miguel Alemán Valdés participated in the ceremony on 20 November 1952. The
University Olympic Stadium A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
was inaugurated on the same day. In 1957 the Doctorate Council was created to regulate and organize graduate studies. Another major student strike, again over examination regulations, occurred in 1966. Students invaded the rectorate and forced the rector to resign. The Board of Regents did not accept this resignation, so the professors went on strike, paralyzing the university and forcing the Board's acceptance. In the summer, violent outbreaks occurred on a number of the campuses of the university's affiliated preparatory schools; police took over several high school campuses, with injuries. Students at UNAM, along with other Mexico City universities, mobilized in what has come to be called
Mexico 68 The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...
, protests against the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, but also a whole array of political and social tensions. During August 1968, protests formed on the main campus against the police actions on the main campus and in the center of the city. The protests grew into a student movement that demanded the resignation of the police chief, among other things. More protests followed in September, gaining frequency and numbers. During a meeting of the student leaders, the army fired on the Chihuahua building in Tlatelolco, where the student organization supposedly was. In the Tlatelolco massacre, the police action resulted in many dead, wounded, and detained. Protests continued on after that. Only ten days later, the 1968 Olympic Games opened at the University Stadium. The university was shut down for the duration. The 1970s and 1980s saw the opening of satellite campuses in other parts of Mexico and nearby areas, to decentralize the system. There were some minor student strikes, mostly concerning grading and tuition. The last major student strike at the university occurred in 1999–2000 when students shut down the campus for almost a year to protest a proposal to charge students the equivalent of
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
150 per semester for those who could afford it. Referendums were held by both the university and the strikers, but neither side accepted the others' results. Acting on a judge's order, the police stormed the buildings held by strikers on 7 February 2000, putting an end to the strike.Preston, Julia (199
''University Officials Yield to Student Strike in Mexico''
June 8. Retrieved on February 14, 2006. ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
''.
Preston, Julia (2000
''Big Majority Votes to End Strike at Mexican University''
January 21, 2000. Retrieved on February 14, 2006 ''New York Times''.
''Mexican Police Storm University''
February 7, 2000. Retrieved on February 14, 2006, from
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
.
In 2009 the university was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities and began the celebration of its centennial anniversary with several activities that will last until 2011. The UNAM has actively included minorities into different educational fields, as in technology.Milenio.com "''’Hackatón’ une a mujeres para crear casas inteligentes.'

in Spanish. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
In 2016, the university adopted United Nations platforms throughout all of its campuses to support and empower women.


Seal

José Vasconcelos, as rector in 1920, expressed the importance of ending the oppression and the bloody confrontations of yesteryear, the battlefields would be those of culture and education would be a means to achieve a new era in the country where Mexicans have in mind the need to merge peoples and culture from the spiritual factors, race and territory, reflecting the unification of Latin Americans. These elements were reflected in the University Seal, represented by the American golden eagle, Mexican eagle and the Andean condor, forming a double-headed eagle, supported by an allegory of the volcanoes and a cactus, meaning of the roots of the Mexicans. In the central part of the shield is the map of
Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
, which goes from the northern border of Mexico to Cape Horn. Framing this map is the phrase "For my people the spirit shall speak." In the upper part of the seal there is a ribbon that says "National Autonomous University of Mexico".


Motto

The motto that animates the National University, "For my people the spirit shall speak", reveals the humanistic vocation with which it was conceived. The author of this famous phrase, José Vasconcelos, assumed the rectory in 1920, within the framework of the Latin American University Reform, and at a time when the hopes of the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
were still alive; There was a great faith in the homeland, and the redemptive spirit extended into the environment. It "means in this motto the conviction that our race will elaborate a culture of new tendencies, of spiritual and free essence," explained the "Master of America" when presenting the proposal. Later, he would specify: "I imagined the university shield that I presented to the Council, roughly and with a legend: 'For my people the spirit shall speak', pretending to mean that we woke up from a long night of oppression"


Imagotype

On April 20, 1974, the then rector Guillermo Soberón Acevedo presented the new sport's emblem of the UNAM in the Auditorium of the Faculty of Sciences. The university commissioned the design to Manuel Andrade Rodríguez, as part of the renovation of the General Directorate of Sports and Recreation Activities. The image was chosen among 16 works, and required more than 800 sketches. The image type consists of the face of a puma in gold, made from the silhouette of a closed fist, on a blue triangle with rounded corners. In turn, this triangle expresses the three fundamental pillars of the university: Education, Research and the Diffusion of Culture. The emblem of the puma serves as a seal for the sports teams of the university. In 2013, the British newspaper
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
included it in a list of one of the most remarkable club logos in
football soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is t ...
.


Campuses


University City

"Ciudad Universitaria" (University City) is UNAM's main campus, located within the Coyoacán borough in the southern part of Mexico City. The construction of UNAM's central campus was the original idea of two students from the National School of Architecture in 1928: Mauricio De Maria y Campos and Marcial Gutiérrez Camarena. It was designed by architects
Mario Pani Mario Pani Darqui (March 29, 1911 – February 23, 1993) was a famous Mexican architect and urbanist. He was one of the most active urbanists under the Mexican Miracle, and gave form to a good part of the urban appearance of Mexico City, with ...
, Armando Franco Rovira,
Enrique del Moral Enrique del Moral Dominguez (21 January 1905 – 11 June 1987) was a Mexican architect and an exponent of the functionalism movement, a modernist group that included Mexican artists and architects such as José Villagrán Garcia, Carlos Obreg ...
,
Eugenio Peschard Eugenio Peschard Delgado was a Mexican architect. Prior to joining the faculty of the National University in 1940, Peschard was an architect in the Ministry of Communications and Public Works and a member of the Council of Architecture of the Fe ...
, Ernesto Gómez Gallardo Argüelles, Domingo García Ramos, and others such as Mauricio De Maria y Campos who always showed great interest in participating in the project. Architects De Maria y Campos, Del Moral, and Pani were given the responsibility as directors and coordinators to assign each architect to each selected building or constructions which enclose the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a multi-purpose stadium located inside Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City. It was built in 1952 and at that time was the largest stadium in Mexico. This stadium has a capacity of 72,000. The first major event ...
, about 40 schools and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the Central Library, and a few museums. It was built during the 1950s on an ancient solidified lava bed to replace the scattered buildings in downtown
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
, where classes were given. It was completed in 1954, and is almost a separate region within Mexico City, with its own regulations, councils, and police (to some extent), in a more fundamental way than most universities around the world. In June 2007, its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria, was declared a
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
.


Satellite campuses

Apart from University City (Ciudad Universitaria), UNAM has several campuses in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (Acatlán, Aragón, Cuautitlán, Iztacala, and Zaragoza), as well as many others in several locations across Mexico (in
Santiago de Querétaro Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...
, Morelia, Mérida, Sisal, Ensenada, Cuernavaca,
Temixco Temixco is the fourth-largest city in the Mexican state of Morelos. It stands at in the west-northwest part of the state. The city serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality, with which it shares a name. The municipality rep ...
and
Leon Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...
), mainly aimed at research and graduate studies. Its School of Music, formerly the National School of Music, is located in Coyoacán. Its Center of Teaching for Foreigners has a campus i
Taxco
in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero, focusing in Spanish language and Mexican culture for foreigners, as well as locations in the upscale neighborhood of olancoin central Mexico City. The university has extension schools in the United States, and Canada, focusing on the Spanish language, English language, Mexican culture, and, in the case of UNAM Canada, French language: UNAM
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; UNAM
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
; UNAM
Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
; Gatineau, Quebec; and Seattle, Washington. It operates Centers for Mexican Studies and/or Centers of Teaching for Foreigners in Beijing, China (jointly with the
Beijing Foreign Studies University Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU; ), is a public university in Beijing, China. BFSU boasts the oldest language programs in China offering the largest number of foreign language majors on different educational levels. Located in Haidia ...
); Madrid, Spain (jointly with the
Cervantes Institute Instituto Cervantes (the Cervantes Institute) is a worldwide nonprofit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the author of ''Don Quixote'' and perhaps the most important figur ...
); San Jose, Costa Rica (jointly with the
University of Costa Rica The University of Costa Rica (Spanish: ''Universidad de Costa Rica,'' abbreviated UCR) is a public university in the Republic of Costa Rica, in Central America. Its main campus, Ciudad Universitaria Rodrigo Facio, is located in San Pedro Mo ...
); London, United Kingdom (with
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
); Paris, France (jointly with Paris-Sorbonne University); and Northridge, California, United States (jointly with
California State University Northridge California State University, Northridge (CSUN or Cal State Northridge) is a public university in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. With a total enrollment of 38,551 students (as of Fall 2021), it has the second largest un ...
).


Museums and buildings of interest


Palacio de Minería

Under the care of the
School of Engineering, UNAM The School of Engineering ( es, Facultad de Ingeniería) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is an engineering school in Latin America and an international engineering school. At undergraduate level, it offers thirteen maj ...
, the Colonial Palace of Mining is located in the historical center of Mexico City. Formerly the School of Engineering, it has three floors, and hosts the International Book Expo ("Feria Internacional del Libro" or "FIL") and the International Day of Computing Security Congress ("DISC"). It also has a permanent exhibition of historical books, mostly topographical and naturalist works of 19th-century Mexican scientists, in the former library of the School of Engineers. It also contains several exhibitions related to mining, the prime engineering occupation during the Spanish colonization. It is considered to be one of the most significant examples of Mexican architecture of its period, conceived by Manuel Tolsa during de Spanish colonial rule in a neoclassical style (18th century).


Casa del Lago

The House of the Lake, in
Chapultepec Park Chapultepec, more commonly called the "Bosque de Chapultepec" (Chapultepec Forest) in Mexico City, is one of the largest city parks in Mexico, measuring in total just over 686 hectares (1,695 acres). Centered on a rock formation called Chapultep ...
, is a place devoted to cultural activities, including dancing, theater, and ballet. It also serves as a meeting place for university-related organizations and committees.


Museum of San Ildefonso

This museum and cultural center is considered to be the birthplace of the Mexican muralism movement. San Ildefonso began as a prestigious
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
boarding school, and after the
Reform War The Reform War, or War of Reform ( es, Guerra de Reforma), also known as the Three Years' War ( es, Guerra de los Tres Años), was a civil war in Mexico lasting from January 11, 1858 to January 11, 1861, fought between liberals and conservativ ...
, it gained educational prestige again as
National Preparatory School The Escuela Nacional Preparatoria ( en, National Preparatory High School) (ENP), the oldest senior High School system in Mexico, belonging to the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), opened its doors on February 1, 1868. It was founde ...
, which was closely linked to the founding of UNAM. This school, and the building, closed completely in 1978, then reopened as a museum and cultural center in 1994, administered jointly by UNAM, the National Council for Culture and Arts and the government of the Federal District of Mexico City. The museum has permanent and temporary art and archaeological exhibitions, in addition to the many murals painted on its walls by
José Clemente Orozco José Clemente Orozco (November 23, 1883 – September 7, 1949) was a Mexican caricaturist and painter, who specialized in political murals that established the Mexican Mural Renaissance together with murals by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Sique ...
, Diego Rivera and others. The complex is located between San Ildefonso Street and Justo Sierra Street in the historic center of
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
.


Chopo University Museum

The Chopo University Museum possesses an artistic architecture, large crystal panels and two iron towers designed by
Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...
. It opened with part of the collection of the now-defunct Public Museum of Natural History, Archeology and History, which eventually became the
National Museum of Cultures The Museo Nacional de las Culturas (MNC; ''National Museum of Cultures'') is a national museum in Mexico City dedicated to education about the world's cultures, both past and present. It is housed in a colonial-era building that used to be the mi ...
. It served the National Museum of Natural History for almost 50 years, and is now devoted to the temporary exhibitions of visual arts.


Museo Experimental El Eco

The Museo Experimental El Eco is one of the two buildings by German modern artist
Mathias Goeritz Werner Mathias Goeritz Brunner (4 April 1915, Danzig, German Empire – 4 August 1990, Mexico City) was a Mexican painter and sculptor of German people, German origin. After spending much of the 1940s in North Africa and Spain, he and his wife, ...
and an example of Emotional architecture. Goeritz was a close collaborator of architect
Luis Barragán Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín (March 9, 1902 – November 22, 1988) was a Mexican architect and engineer. His work has influenced contemporary architects visually and conceptually. Barragán's buildings are frequently visited by international ...
and author of several public sculptures including the Torres de Satélite. The building was acquired and renovated by the National University in 2004 and since 2005 it exhibits contemporary art and a yearly architecture competition Pabellón Eco.


National Astronomical Observatory

The National Astronomical Observatory is located in the Sierra San Pedro Mártir mountain range in
Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...
, about 130 km south of
United States-Mexican border United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two fi ...
. It has been in operation since 1970, and it currently has three large reflecting telescopes.


Nobel laureates

All three of Mexico's Nobel laureates are alumni of UNAM: *
Alfonso García Robles Alfonso García Robles (20 March 1911 – 2 September 1991) was a Mexican diplomat and politician who, in conjunction with Sweden's Alva Myrdal, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. García Robles was born in Zamora, Michoacán, and trained ...
(alumnus) -
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
, 1982 * Octavio Paz (alumnus) -
Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...
, 1990 * Mario Molina (alumnus) -
Nobel Prize in Chemistry ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
, 1995 In addition, eleven faculty of UNAM have taken part of the
Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
( Ana María Cetto twice), in 1995, 2005 and 2007; as members of the
Pugwash Conference The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is an international organization that brings together scholars and public figures to work toward reducing the danger of armed conflict and to seek solutions to global security threats. It was fo ...
, the
International Atomic Energy Agency The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...
and the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) a ...
.


Noted faculty

:''See also :National Autonomous University of Mexico faculty'' * Carlos Slim, businessman and one of the richest people in the world *
Miguel Alcubierre Miguel Alcubierre Moya (born March 28, 1964) is a Mexican theoretical physicist. Alcubierre is known for the proposed Alcubierre drive, a speculative warp drive by which a spacecraft could achieve faster-than-light travel. Personal life Alcubie ...
, theoretical physicist * Gabriel Careaga Medina, sociologist * Max Cetto, architect *
Mónica Clapp Mónica Alicia Clapp Jiménez Labora is a mathematician at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) known for her work in nonlinear partial differential equations and algebraic topology. Life and work Clapp was born in Mexico City. S ...
, mathematician *
Adolfo Gilly Adolfo Atilio Gilly Malvagni (born 1928) is an author of various books on the history of and politics of Mexico and Latin America and professor of History and Political Science at the School of Social and Political Sciences at the Universidad Nac ...
, historian *
Alejandro Corichi Alejandro Corichi is a theoretical physicist working at the Quantum Gravity group of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He obtained his bachelor's degree at UNAM (1991) and his PhD at Pennsylvania State University (1997). His fie ...
, astrophysicist *
Enrique Leff Enrique Leff (born 1946) is a Mexican economist, environmental sociologist and environmentalist. He has written 25 books and 180 articles on political ecology, environmental sociology, environmental economics, environmental epistemology and e ...
, political ecologist and economist * Laura Hernández Guzmán, psychologist * Isabel Hubard Escalera, mathematician *
Erich Fromm Erich Seligmann Fromm (; ; March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and settled in the U ...
, philosopher and psychoanalyst *
Florian Luca Florian Luca (born 16 March 1969, in Galați) is a Romanian mathematician who specializes in number theory with emphasis on Diophantine equations, linear recurrences and the distribution of values of arithmetic functions. He has made notable contr ...
, mathematician *
Teodoro González de León Teodoro González de León (May 29, 1926 – September 16, 2016) was a Mexican architect. Biography González de León studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arquitectura of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) from 1942 to 19 ...
, architect *
Javier Corral Jurado Javier Corral Jurado (born 2 August 1966) is a Mexican politician affiliated with the National Action Party (PAN), who served as Governor of Chihuahua from 2016 to 2021. He has served in politics since the early 1980s, including six terms betwe ...
, politician *
Jorge González Torres Jorge González Torres (born in 1942 in Mexico City) is a Mexican politician, founder of the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico. He was also the co-president of the Federation of Green Parties of the Americas. References ''Costumbre viciada'' artic ...
, politician *
José Gaos José Gaos (26 December 1900, Gijón, Spain – 10 June 1969, Mexico City) was a Spanish philosopher who obtained political asylum in Mexico during the Spanish Civil War and became one of the most important Mexican philosophers of the 20th cen ...
, philosopher * José Miguel Insulza, a
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an politician, secretary of the
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS; es, Organización de los Estados Americanos, pt, Organização dos Estados Americanos, french: Organisation des États américains; ''OEA'') is an international organization that was founded on 30 April ...
*
Paul Kirchhoff Paul Kirchhoff (17 August 1900, Halle, Province of Westphalia – 9 December 1972) was a German-Mexican anthropologist, most noted for his seminal work in defining and elaborating the culture area of Mesoamerica, a term he coined. Early lif ...
, anthropologist and ethnohistorian *
Larry Laudan Larry Laudan (; October 16, 1941 – August 23, 2022) was an American philosopher of science and epistemologist. He strongly criticized the traditions of positivism, realism, and relativism, and he defended a view of science as a privileged and ...
, philosopher * Juan Carlos Laguna, musician (guitar) * Miguel León-Portilla, historian and Nahuatl language researcher * Rodrigo Medellín, ecologist *
Rodolfo Neri Vela Rodolfo Neri Vela (born 19 February 1952) is a Mexican scientist and astronaut who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in the year 1985. He is the second Latin American to have traveled to space. Personal Neri was born in Chilpancingo, Gue ...
, astronaut * Edmundo O'Gorman, historian and writer *
Kiyoto Ota is a Japanese-Mexican sculptor. Life Kiyoto Ota studied at * the School of Democratic Art of the Japanese Artistic Association in Tokyo (1967–1969) * the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda" of the INBA (1972–197 ...
, sculptor * Margarita Peña (1937-2018), writer, educator * Arturo Rosenblueth, physiologist * Graciela Salicrup (1935–1982), architect, archaeologist and mathematician *
Juan José Sánchez Sosa ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
, psychologistNota "Nombra la UNAM a Bernardo Sepúlveda, Investigador Extraordinario, y a Juan José Sánchez Sosa, Profesor Emérito. ''Boletín'' DGCS-738 October 25, 2016, 11:00 h. (Retrieved October 25, 2016)
/ref> *
Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez (September 17, 1915 – July 8, 2011) was a Spanish-born Mexican philosopher, writer and professor born in Algeciras, Andalucia. Biography After studying philosophy at the University of Madrid, Vázquez emigrated to M ...
, a Spanish-born philosopher *
Manuel Sandoval Vallarta Manuel Sandoval Vallarta (11 February 1899 – 18 April 1977) was a Mexican physicist. He was a Physics professor at both MIT and the Institute of Physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Biography Sandoval Vallart ...
, physicist and
cosmic ray Cosmic rays are high-energy particles or clusters of particles (primarily represented by protons or atomic nuclei) that move through space at nearly the speed of light. They originate from the Sun, from outside of the Solar System in our own ...
researcher *
Sara Sefchovich Sara Sefchovich (born ''Sara Sefchovich Wasongarz''; April 2, 1949 in Mexico City) is a Mexican writer. Biography She studied sociology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), earning a master's degree in 1987 and a doctorate degre ...
, writer *
Jesus Savage Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
, robotics researcher and founder of the Mexican Institute of Robotics * Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, lawyer *
Jesús A. De Loera Jesús Antonio De Loera (born January 18, 1966) is a Mexican-American mathematician at the University of California, Davis, specializing in discrete mathematics and discrete geometry.
, mathematician


Noted alumni

:See also :National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni


World heads of state

*
Abel Pacheco Abel Pacheco de la Espriella ( ; born 22 December 1933 in San José) is a Costa Rican politician who was president of Costa Rica between 2002 and 2006, representing the Social Christian Unity Party ''(Partido Unidad Social Cristiana'' – PUS ...
(President of
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
2002–2006) * Alfonso Portillo (President of
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
2000–2004) * Carlos Salinas de Gortari (President of Mexico 1988–1994) *
José López Portillo y Pacheco José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
(President of Mexico 1976–1982) * Luis Echeverría (President of Mexico 1970–1976) * Miguel Alemán Valdés (President of Mexico 1946–1952) *
Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (; 12 December 1934 – 1 April 2012) was a Mexican politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 59th president of Mexico from 1982 to 1988. Inheriting a severe economic an ...
(President of Mexico 1982–1988) * Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mayor of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005, President of Mexico 2018–present)


Politicians

*
Abel Pacheco Abel Pacheco de la Espriella ( ; born 22 December 1933 in San José) is a Costa Rican politician who was president of Costa Rica between 2002 and 2006, representing the Social Christian Unity Party ''(Partido Unidad Social Cristiana'' – PUS ...
(President of
Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
) *
Alan Cranston Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as a President of the World Federalist Association from 1949 to 1 ...
( U.S. Senator from California) - one summer * Alfonso Portillo (President of
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
) *
Álvaro García Linera Álvaro Marcelo García Linera (; born 19 October 1962) is a Bolivian politician, sociologist, Theoretician (Marxism), marxist theoretician, and former Guerrilla warfare, guerilla who served as the 38th Vice President of Bolivia, vice preside ...
(vice-president of
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
) *
Alejandro Encinas Alejandro is the Spanish form of the name Alexander. Alejandro has multiple variations in different languages, including Aleksander (Czech, Polish), Alexandre ( French), Alexandros (Greek), Alsander (Irish), Alessandro (Italian), Aleksandr (Rus ...
(Mayor of Mexico City) *
Antonio Carrillo Flores Antonio Carrillo Flores (June 23, 1909 – March 20, 1986) was a Mexican statesman, born in Mexico City. He was the second son of composer Julián Carrillo Trujillo, and older brother of Nabor Carrillo, rector of the National University and ...
(Cabinet Minister in several previous administrations, 1929, 1950) *
Carlos Mendoza Davis Carlos Mendoza Davis (born 21 April 1969) is a Mexican public official who served as the Governor of Baja California Sur from 2015 to 2021. A lawyer by profession, he has earned two master's degrees and has held several positions in the federal ...
(Governor of Baja California Sur) *
Claudia Sheinbaum Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican scientist, politician, and head of government of Mexico City, a position equivalent to a state governor. She was elected on 1 July 2018 as part of the Juntos Haremos Historia coalition. Sh ...
(scientist, politician, and Mayor of Mexico City) *
Fernando Baeza Melendez Fernando is a Spanish and Portuguese given name and a surname common in Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Switzerland, former Spanish or Portuguese colonies in Latin America, Africa, the Philippines, India, and Sri Lanka. It is equivalent to the G ...
(Senator and Governor of Chihuahua) * Luis Félix López (Secretary of Government of
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
) *
Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera (born August 30, 1952 in Villa Juárez, Sonora) is a Mexican economist and elected official, member of the Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) party, and a federal deputy since September 1, 2012. He was the ...
(Deputy, Senator and Governor of Sonora) * Miguel Ángel Mancera (Mayor of Mexico City) *
Mark Kirk Mark Steven Kirk (born September 15, 1959) is a retired American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Illinois from 2010 to 2017, and as the United States representative for Illinois's 10th congressional district fr ...
( U.S. Senator from Illinois, did not graduate) *
Rosario Robles María del Rosario Robles Berlanga (; born 1956) is a Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Social Development in the cabinet of Enrique Peña Nieto. She also was substitute Head of Government of the Federal District ("Mayor of Me ...
(Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Social Development) * Santiago Creel (senator) * Veton Surroi (
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
publicist and leader of the Kosovar Party
ORA ORA or Ora may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Ora'' (film), a 2011 experimental dance film * Rita Ora (born 1990), British-Albanian singer-songwriter and actress * ''Ora'' (Jovanotti album), 2011 * ''Ora'' (Rita Ora album), 2012 * "Ora" ...
)


Diplomats

*
Antonio Carrillo Flores Antonio Carrillo Flores (June 23, 1909 – March 20, 1986) was a Mexican statesman, born in Mexico City. He was the second son of composer Julián Carrillo Trujillo, and older brother of Nabor Carrillo, rector of the National University and ...
( Ministry of Mexican Foreign Affairs during the Díaz Ordaz administration) *
Jaime Torres Bodet Jaime Mario Torres Bodet (17 April 1902 – 13 May 1974) was a prominent Mexican politician and writer who served in the executive cabinet of three President of Mexico, Presidents of Mexico. Life Torres Bodet was born in Mexico City. His mot ...
(writer and politician,
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
Director-General (1948-1952)) *
Narciso Bassols Narciso Bassols García (October 22, 1897 – July 24, 1959) was a Mexican lawyer, socialist politician, ambassador to France, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom, and professor of law at the National University of Mexico. He co-founde ...
(former ambassador to Russia, France, and Great Britain; former director of UNAM's School of Law) * Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco (Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria) *
Rosario Green María del Rosario Green Macías (31 March 1941 – 25 November 2017) was a Mexican economist, diplomat and politician. She served as Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Ernesto Zedillo (President of Mexico, 1994–2000). She was ...
( Ministry of Mexican Foreign Affairs during the Zedillo administration)


Artists, writers, and humanists

*
Abraham Cruzvillegas Abraham Cruzvillegas (born 1968, Mexico City) is a Mexican visual artist. He is best known for his work with found objects, and particularly his ongoing "autoconstrucción" project. Biography Cruzvillegas grew up in Ajusco, a district in the ...
(artist) *
Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez (September 17, 1915 – July 8, 2011) was a Spanish-born Mexican philosopher, writer and professor born in Algeciras, Andalucia. Biography After studying philosophy at the University of Madrid, Vázquez emigrated to M ...
(philosopher and writer) * Agustín Landa Verdugo (architect and urban planner) * Alejandro Rossi (philosopher and writer) * Alfonso Cuarón (film director, winner of the Academy Award for Academy Award for Best Director, Best Director in 2014) *
Alfonso García Robles Alfonso García Robles (20 March 1911 – 2 September 1991) was a Mexican diplomat and politician who, in conjunction with Sweden's Alva Myrdal, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1982. García Robles was born in Zamora, Michoacán, and trained ...
(diplomat and Treaty of Tlatelolco impeller, List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates#Laureates, Nobel Prize laureate in Peace) * Alfonso Reyes (writer, philosopher, and diplomat) * Ana Colchero (actress) * Adelina Nicholls (activist) * Audre Lorde (writer, poet and activist) * Emiliano Monge * Ayako Tsuru (mural artist) * Bolívar Echeverría (Ecuadorian writer and philosopher) * Carlos Fuentes (writer, essayist, and a member of El Colegio Nacional) * Carlos Monsiváis (editorialist and writer) * Carmen Aristegui (journalist) * Chespirito (screenwriter, creator of the sitcoms El Chavo del Ocho and El Chapulín Colorado) * Elena Poniatowska (journalist and writer) * Fernando del Paso (writer) * Francisco Laguna Correa (writer) * Federico Reyes Heroles (political writer) * Guillermo del Toro (filmmaker, author, and actor) * Horst Matthai Quelle (philosopher) * Jacobo Zabludovsky (lawyer, journalist, and first Anchorman, TV anchorman in Mexico) * Jacqueline Peschard (sociologist) * Jaime Maussan (Mexican journalist, television personality and ufologist) * Javier Solorzano (journalist) * Jorge Volpi (novelist and essayist; current director of XEIMT-TV, Canal 22 in Mexican free television) * José Emilio Pacheco (writer and a member of El Colegio Nacional) * Josefina Muriel (writer, historian, researcher, bibliophile, academic; Order of Isabella the Catholic by the government of Spain in 1966) * Juan García Esquivel (musician) * Juan Rulfo (writer) * Julio Estrada (musicologist), Julio Estrada (composer, writer, and UNAM scholar) * Julio Scherer García (author, journalist and founder of Proceso (magazine), Proceso news magazine. He was the editor of the daily newspaper Excélsior but was sacked because President Luis Echeverría pursuing) * Ilse Gradwohl (painter) * Margarita Peña (writer, educator) * Maruxa Vilalta (dramatist) * Octavio Paz (poet and essayist; List of Nobel laureates in Literature#Laureates, Nobel laureate in Literature) * Pablo González Casanova (sociologist) *Pola Weiss Álvarez (video artist) * Ricardo Legorreta (laureated architect) * Rosa Beltrán (writer, lecturer and academic) * Rosario Castellanos (writer, philosopher, poet, feminist and diplomat) * Salvador Elizondo (writer and a member of the Colegio Nacional (Mexico), Colegio Nacional) * Subcomandante Marcos (aka - "Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente" - sociologist, philosopher and Zapatista Army of National Liberation founder) * Tenoch Huerta (actor) *
Teodoro González de León Teodoro González de León (May 29, 1926 – September 16, 2016) was a Mexican architect. Biography González de León studied at the Escuela Nacional de Arquitectura of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) from 1942 to 19 ...
(architect) * Veronica Castro (movie star) * William F. Buckley (writer and political philosopher; attended in 1943 prior to being commissioned in the U.S. Army during the World War II)


Physicians and surgeons

* Celia Mercedes Alpuche Aranda (deputy general director of the Center for Research on Infectious Diseases (CISEI)) *Carlos Fernández del Castillo (specialist in pancreatic diseases, pancreatobiliary surgery, gastrointestinal surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, USA) * Fernando Antonio Bermúdez Arias (prominent physician, cardiologist, scientist, writer, teacher, historian, artist, and social defender) *Ignacio Chávez Sánchez, Ignacio Chávez (prominent Mexican physician, founded the first cardiology area in the General Hospital of Mexico. He was the rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (1965–1966). Founded several Mexican institutions in Cardiology and he was appointed honorary doctor or rector of 95 universities around the world. He was a founding member of El Colegio Nacional (1943).) *Jorge Calles-Escandón (endocrinologist, specializing in thyroid biopsy, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and insulin pumps at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, USA) *David Herzog, eating disorders expert and Endowed Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School *Anastasio López Escobedo (Hijo Predilecto de San Miguel de Allende, Benemérito de Guanajuato, Diputado Constituyente Congreso 1917.) *Alberto P. León (physician, professor, and Secretary of Health of Mexico) *Gerardo Jiménez Sánchez (pediatrician, founding president of the Mexican Society of Genomic Medicine) *Mauricio Tohen, Distinguished Professor, and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of New Mexico *Nora Volkow (director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse)


Scientists

* Alfonso Caso y Andrade (archaeologist) * Antonio Lazcano (biologist and evolutionist, director of The Lynn Margulis Centre for Evolutionary Biology) * Carlos Frenk (astronomer, a pioneer in simulations of large-scale structures) * Constantino Reyes-Valerio (chemist and historian who coined the term ''arte indocristiano'' and contributed to the discovery of the production of Maya blue pigment) * Eduardo Pareyón Moreno (archaeologist) * Guido Münch (astronomer and director of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy) * Guillermo Haro (astronomer, co-discoverer of Herbig–Haro object, Herbig–Haro objects) * Guillermo Oliver (biologist and professor at Northwestern University) * Jerzy Rzedowski (plant scientist, pioneer in the field of neotropical floristics) *Juan J. de Pablo (chemical engineer and vice president for national laboratories, science strategy, innovation, and global initiatives at the University of Chicago) * Luis E. Miramontes (co-inventor of the contraceptive pill) * Marcos Moshinsky (theoretical physicist, whose work in the field of elementary particles won him the Princess of Asturias Awards, Prince of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Investigation and the UNESCO Science Prize) * Mario Molina (co-discoverer of Ozone depletion, decomposition of ozone with Chlorofluorocarbon, CFC aerosols, List of Nobel laureates in Chemistry#Laureates, Nobel laureate in Chemistry) *
Miguel Alcubierre Miguel Alcubierre Moya (born March 28, 1964) is a Mexican theoretical physicist. Alcubierre is known for the proposed Alcubierre drive, a speculative warp drive by which a spacecraft could achieve faster-than-light travel. Personal life Alcubie ...
(theoretical and computational physicist; see Alcubierre metric) * Miguel de Icaza (free software programmer, co-founder of GNOME) * Monica Olvera de la Cruz (soft matter theorist) * Nabor Carrillo Flores (a soil mechanics expert, a nuclear energy advisor and former president of UNAM) *
Rodolfo Neri Vela Rodolfo Neri Vela (born 19 February 1952) is a Mexican scientist and astronaut who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in the year 1985. He is the second Latin American to have traveled to space. Personal Neri was born in Chilpancingo, Gue ...
(the first Mexican in space) * Salvador Zubirán (physician, founder of the National Institute of Nutrition) * Shlomo Eckstein (economist and President of Bar-Ilan University) * Víctor Neumann-Lara (pioneer in graph theory) * Ricardo Miledi (neuroscientist, pioneer of the calcium hypothesis of neurotransmitter release)


Business people

* Carlos Slim (Engineering businessman and the current Forbes list of billionaires, fourth richest person in the world) * Riobóo Martín ( Civil Engineering businessman and owner of ":es:Grupo_Riobóo, Grupo Riobóo")


Athletes

* Hugo Sánchez (Mexican football player, Real Madrid C.F., former Mexico national football team, Mexico national team and UD Almería manager) * Daniel Vargas (volleyball), Daniel Vargas (Mexican volleyball player and engineer, played for Pumas UNAM, and was part of Mexico men's national volleyball team, where he played at the Olympic Games 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio 2016)


Organization

UNAM is organized in Faculty (division), schools or colleges, rather than Academic department, departments. Both undergraduate and Postgraduate education, graduate studies are available. UNAM is also responsible for the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (ENP) (National Preparatory School), and the Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades (CCH) (Science and Humanities College), which consist of several High school (upper secondary), high schools, in
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
. Counting ENEP, CCH, FES (Facultad de Estudios Superiores), Secondary education#Mexico, higher-secondary, undergraduate and graduate students, UNAM has over 324,413 students, making it one of the world's largest universities.


Schools and colleges

UNAM has a set of schools covering different academic fields such as "engineering" or "law". All of UNAM's schools offer undergraduate and graduate studies (master's degrees and PhDs). However, the schools that UNAM calls "national schools" only offer undergraduate studies, as this type of school is mainly focused on practical experience. This is the case of the National School of Nursing and Obstetrics, and the National School of Social Work.


List of schools, and institutes

* Schools (all of these offer undergraduate and graduate degrees) ** School of Accounting and Administration, UNAM, School of Accounting and Administration ** School of Architecture, UNAM, School of Architecture ** School of Arts and Design, UNAM, School of Arts and Design ** School of Chemistry, UNAM, School of Chemistry ** School of Economics, UNAM, School of Economics ** School of Engineering, UNAM, School of Engineering ** School of High Studies (FES) Acatlán ** School of High Studies (FES) Aragón ** School of High Studies (FES) Cuautitlán ** School of High Studies (FES) Iztacala ** School of High Studies (FES) Zaragoza ** School of Law, UNAM, Law School ** School of Medicine, UNAM, School of Medicine ** School of Music, UNAM, School of Music ** School of Odontology, UNAM, School of Odontology ** School of Philosophy and Letters, UNAM, School of Philosophy and Letters ** School of Political and Social Sciences, UNAM, School of Political and Social Sciences ** School of Psychology, UNAM, School of Psychology ** School of Sciences, UNAM, School of Sciences ** School of Veterinarian Medicine, UNAM, School of Veterinarian Medicine and Animal Science * National Schools (only have undergraduate degrees) ** National School of Nursing and Obstetrics ** National School of Social Work ** National Preparatory School (with 9 high schools) ** National School of High Studies Morelia (in the state of Michoacan) ** National School of High Studies León (in the state of Guanajuato) ** National School of High Studies Mérida (in the state of Yucatán) ** National School of High Studies Juriquilla (in the state of Querétaro) ** National School 'College of Sciences and Humanities' (with five high schools)


Open University and Distance Education System

The Open University and Distance Education System or "Sistema de Universidad Abierta y Educación a Distancia" (SUAyED) is an alternative to the university's on-campus education. The open education programs require on-campus assistance at least one in every 15 days, usually on Saturdays (semi-presence). The distance education programs are entirely online using content provided through online platforms where students, teachers, and peers communicate online. About 32,000 of UNAM's students are enrolled in open or distance programs. SUAyED offers bachelor and postgraduate degrees.


Research

UNAM has excelled in many areas of research. The university houses many of Mexico's premiere research institutions. In recent years, it has attracted students and hired professional scientists from all over the world, most notably from Russia, India, and the United States, creating a unique and diverse scientific community. Scientific research at UNAM is divided between faculties, institutes, centers, and schools, and covers a range of disciplines in Latin America. Some notable UNAM institutes include the Institute of Astronomy, the Institute of Biotechnology, the Institute of Nuclear Sciences, the Institute of Ecology, the Institute of Physics, Institute of Renewable Energies, the Institute of Cell Physiology, the Institute of Geophysics, the Institute of Engineering, the Institute of Materials Research, the Institute of Chemistry, the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, and the IIMAS, Applied Mathematics and Systems Research Institute. Research centers tend to focus on multidisciplinary problems particularly relevant to Mexico and the developing world, most notably, the Center for Applied Sciences and Technological Development, which focuses on connecting the sciences to real-world problems (e.g., optics, nanosciences), and Center for Energy Research, which conducts world-class research in Alternative energy, alternative energies. All research centers are open to students from around the world. The UNAM holds a number of programs for students within the country, using scientific internships to encourage research in the country. UNAM currently installed its first supercomputer Sirio (Cray Y/MP) in 1991. Since 2013 it operates a supercomputer named Miztli (HP) for scientific research.


Students and faculty


Sports, clubs, and traditions


Professional football club

UNAM's Association football, football club, Club Universidad Nacional, participates in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. The club became two-time consecutive champions of the Torneo de Apertura, Apertura, and the Torneo de Clausura, Clausura in 2004. Their home ground is the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a multi-purpose stadium located inside Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City. It was built in 1952 and at that time was the largest stadium in Mexico. This stadium has a capacity of 72,000. The first major event ...
.


Pumas volleyball team

UNAM's volleyball team, Pumas, has had great success on a national and international level. The manager for Mexico's representative volleyball team is from Pumas, and several players representing Mexico are also UNAM students and alumni. They played in the Olympics at Rio.


Cultural traditions

The university has an annual tradition to make a large display of Day of the Dead offerings (Spanish: ''ofrenda'') all over the main square of Ciudad Universitaria. Each school builds an offering, and in the center, there is usually a large offering made according to a theme corresponding to the festivities of the university for that year.


Political activism

UNAM students and professors are regarded throughout Mexico as politically very active, generally speaking. Since 2000, a small building at the School of Humanities (near the central library) has been effectively under the control of an Anarcho-communism, anarcho-communist student group, who renamed the place from " Justo Sierra Auditorium" to "Che Guevara Auditorium". While most of its students usually adhere to left-wing political ideologies and movements, the university has also produced several prominent right-wing and neoliberal politicians and businessmen, such as President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, catholic rector
Manuel Gómez Morín Manuel Gómez Morín (27 February 1897 – 19 April 1972) was a Mexican politician. He was a founding member of the National Action Party, and one of its theoreticians. Prior to this he was considered a leading figure in Mexican monetary policy, ...
and magnate Carlos Slim. UNAM's history has made it a strong advocate of minorities, especially women in tech. The school of engineering has organized along with Google some of the largest all Latina Hackathons. UNAM along with Google has organized large scale Latina Hackathons.


Student associations

The UNAM contains several associations of current students and alumni that provide extra-curricular activities to the whole community, enriching the university's activities with cultural, social, and scientific events. * Fundación UNAM * Nibiru Sociedad Astronomica * Faculty of Engineering (UNAM)#Student organizations, SAFIR


See also

* XHUNAM-TV ("Teveunam", UNAM's educational and cultural television channel) * DGSCA (Dirección General de Servicios de Cómputo Académico, Hub of Computer Sciences/Engineering in UNAM) * ''Mexican Law Review''


References


Bibliography

*Jiménez Rueda, Julio. ''Historia Jurídica de la Universidad de México.'' Mexico City: Imprenta Universitaria 1955. *Mabry, Donald J. ''The Mexican University and the State.'' College Station: Texas A&M Press 1982. *Mayo, Sebastián, ''La educación socialista en México: El Asalto a la Universidad Nacional.'' Mexico: El Caballito 1985. *Wences Reza, Rosalío, ''La Universidad en la historia de México.'' Mexico: Editorial Línea 1984.


External links


UNAM , Portal UNAM
Official website] , (English version)


UNAM León Campus
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Autonomous University Of Mexico National Autonomous University of Mexico, National universities, Mexico Educational institutions established in 1910, Mexico, National Autonomous University of 1910 establishments in Mexico