The known by its acronym IAVA, is a public

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. Identified as ''Liceo No. 35 of Montevideo'', it was named in honor of the jurist and politician Alfredo Vásquez Acevedo. Housed in an

art nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style building built in 1911 by the architect Alfredo Jones Brown, the institute has educated a wide range of notable alumni, including presidents and vice presidents.

History

The creation of the institute is part of the educational reform carried out by

José Pedro Varela José Pedro Varela Berro (19 March 1845 - 24 October 1879) was an Uruguayan sociologist, journalist, politician, and educator. He was born in Montevideo. Uruguay adopted free, compulsory, and secular education in 1876, thanks to his efforts. It ...

since the 1880s. This led to a transformation of primary education, separating the public school from the university. Around the 1900s the number of secondary school students was increasing dramatically. In 1903, while Claudio Williman served as rector of the

University of the Republic The University of the Republic (, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is a public research university in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is the country's oldest and largest university, as well as one of the largest public universities in South America in terms of en ...

, the institution was awarded a property in the Cordón ''

barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...

'', where the headquarters of the Faculty of Secondary Education (current IAVA) and the Faculty of Law (which would also serve as the university's headquarters) would later be built. In 1911, what was then known as the ''Secondary and Preparatory Education Section'' of the university was inaugurated, being the first of its kind in the country. In the 1930s, secondary education was disaffiliated from the university. In 1940 the IAVA stopped providing the '' basic cycle'' of secondary education, becoming a

college-preparatory school A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or p ...

, proving only the ''diversified baccalaureate''. In 1976, the building was declared a National Historical Monument. From 2004 to 2009, major renovations were carried out on the building, which included new classrooms, improved laboratories and new doors and windows, as well as a renovation of the main façade. While the works were carried out, part of the institute's normal operations was moved to a neighboring building located on

18 de Julio Avenue Avenida 18 de Julio, or 18 de Julio Avenue, is the most important avenue in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is named after the date when the country's first Constitution was sworn in, on July 18, 1830. It starts from Plaza Independencia at the limits ...

Notable people

Alumni

Hugo Batalla Hugo Batalla Parentini (July 11, 1926 – October 3, 1998), Uruguayan politician, was Vice President of Uruguay from 1995 to 1998 during the presidency of Julio María Sanguinetti. Background His political activity started in the Colorado Party ...

Jorge Batlle Jorge Luis Batlle Ibáñez (; ''Batlle'' locally or ; 25 October 1927 – 24 October 2016) was a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, who served as the 38th president of Uruguay from 2000 to 2005. A member of the Colorado Party (Uruguay), Colorado ...

* Luis Antonio Hierro López * Ernesto Mordecki *

José Mujica José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano (20May 193513May 2025) was a Uruguayan politician, revolutionary and farmer who served as the 40th president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015. A former guerrilla with the Tupamaros, he was tortured and imprisone ...

* Jorge Sapelli * Lucía Topolansky *

Tabaré Vázquez Tabaré Ramón Vázquez Rosas (; 17 January 19406 December 2020) was a Uruguayan politician and oncologist who served as the 39th and 41st President of Uruguay from 2005 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2020. During his political career, Vázquez was a ...

Faculty

* Benjamín Nahum * Ángel Rama * Oscar Secco Ellauri

References

{{reflist Schools in Montevideo Educational institutions established in 1911