The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
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 key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countries. It also has 34 research institutes, 26 museums, and 18 historic sites.
A portion of (University City), UNAM's main campus in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, is a
UNESCO World Heritage
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty
A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by int ...
site that was designed and decorated by some of Mexico's best-known architects and painters.
The campus hosted the main events of the
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...
, and was the birthplace of the
student movement of 1968. All Mexican
Nobel laureates
The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...
have been alumni of UNAM.
In 2009, the university was awarded the
Prince of Asturias
Prince or Princess of Asturias () is the main substantive title used by the heir apparent, or heir presumptive to the monarchy of Spain, Spanish Crown. According to the Spanish Constitution of 1978:
The title originated in 1388, when King J ...
Award for Communication and Humanities.
More than 25% of the total scientific papers published by Mexican academics come from researchers at 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 Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico () was a university founded on 21 September 1551 by Royal Decree signed by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I of Spain, in Valladolid, Spain. It is generally considered the first university fou ...
(the first
Western-style university in North America, founded in 1551).
History
The university was founded on 22 September 1910 by
Justo Sierra,
then minister of education in the
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (; ; 15 September 1830 – 2 July 1915) was a General (Mexico), Mexican general and politician who was the dictator of Mexico from 1876 until Mexican Revolution, his overthrow in 1911 seizing power in a Plan ...
regime, who sought to create a very different institution from its 19th-century precursor, the
Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico
The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico () was a university founded on 21 September 1551 by Royal Decree signed by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles I of Spain, in Valladolid, Spain. It is generally considered the first university fou ...
, 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, crown princess, is held by a woman who is heir apparent or is married to the heir apparent.
''Crown prince ...
Phillip II on behalf of Charles I of Spain
and brought to a definitive closure in 1865 by
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I (; ; 6 July 1832 – 19 June 1867) was an Austrian Empire, Austrian archduke who became Emperor of Mexico, emperor of the Second Mexican Empire from 10 April 1864 until his execution by the Restored Republic (Mexico), Mexican Republ ...
.
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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
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 a philosophical school that holds that all genuine knowledge is either true by definition or positivemeaning '' a posteriori'' facts derived by reason and logic from sensory experience.John J. Macionis, Linda M. Gerber, ''Soci ...
and encompass the ideas of the dominant Mexican liberalism.

The project initially unified the
Fine Arts
In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
,
Business
Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...
,
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
,
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...
,
Engineering
Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
,
Medicine
Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
,
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 () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
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. 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.
In 1914 initial efforts to gain autonomy for the university failed.
In 1920,
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexicans, Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial pers ...
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 Fire", rarely also Fireland in English) is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South America, South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan.
The archipelago consists of the main is ...
, 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. 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
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
-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, 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
San Ángel is a ''Colonia (Mexico), colonia'' (neighborhood) located in the southwest of Mexico City in Álvaro Obregón, Mexico City, Álvaro Obregón borough. Historically it was a rural community called Tenanitla in the pre-Hispanic period. It ...
, 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 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, 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 (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
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'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''.[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''](_blank)
February 7, 2000. Retrieved on February 14, 2006, from BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
.
In 2009 the university was awarded the
Prince of Asturias Award
The Princess of Asturias Awards (, ), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 (), are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Princess of Asturias Foundation (previously the Prince of Asturias Foundation) to individuals ...
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.
Campuses
University City
"Ciudad Universitaria" (University City) is UNAM's main campus, located within the
Coyoacán
Coyoacán ( ; , Otomi: ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') in Mexico City. The former village is now the borough's "historic center". The name comes from Nahuatl and most likely means "place of coyotes", when the Aztecs named a pre- ...
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 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 emblema ...
, Armando Franco Rovira,
Enrique del Moral,
Eugenio Peschard, 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
University Olympic Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium located inside Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, 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 ...
, about 40 schools and institutes, the Cultural Center, an ecological reserve, the
Central Library, the
National Library of Mexico 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 is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, where classes were given. It was completed in 1954, and is almost a separate region within Mexico City, with its own regulations, councils, police, transportation and even a supermarket.
In June 2007, its main campus,
Ciudad Universitaria, was declared a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.
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,
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...
,
Mérida,
Sisal
Sisal (, ; ''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The sisal fiber is ...
,
Ensenada,
Cuernavaca
Cuernavaca (; , "near the woods" , Otomi language, Otomi: ) is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state, state of Morelos in Mexico. Along with Chalcatzingo, it is likely one of the origins of the Mesoamerica, Mesoamerican civilizatio ...
,
Temixco and
Leon), 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 in
Taxco
Taxco de Alarcón (; usually referred to as simply Taxco) is a small city and administrative center of Taxco de Alarcón Municipality located in the Mexico, Mexican state of Guerrero. Taxco is located in the north-central part of the state, from ...
, 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
Polanco in 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
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...
; UNAM
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
; UNAM
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
;
Gatineau
Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, directly across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region of Quebec and is also p ...
, 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); Madrid, Spain (jointly with the
Cervantes Institute); San Jose, Costa Rica (jointly with the
University of Costa Rica); London, United Kingdom (with
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
); Paris, France (jointly with
Paris-Sorbonne University
Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...
); and Northridge, California, United States (jointly with
California State University Northridge).
Museums and buildings of interest
Palacio de Minería

Under the care of the
School of Engineering, UNAM, 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).
It hosts every year one of Mexico's top book fairs, known in Spanish as
Feria Internacional del Libro de Palacio de Mineria. Which is more than 40 years old and has each year more than 100,000 attendants.
Casa del Lago
The House of the Lake, in
Chapultepec Park, 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.
National Biodiversity Pavilion
Opened in 2021, with the sponsorship of
Carlos Slim, the museum hosts a number of permanent exhibits which consist mostly on samples of local flora and fauna from Mexico.
Museum of San Ildefonso

This museum and cultural center is considered to be the birthplace of the
Mexican muralism
Mexican muralism refers to the art project initially funded by the Mexican government in the immediate wake of the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920) to depict visions of Mexico's past, present, and future, transforming the walls of many public buil ...
movement.
San Ildefonso began as a prestigious
Jesuit
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
boarding school, and after the
Reform War, it gained educational prestige again as
National Preparatory School, 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,
Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art.
Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...
and others.
The complex is located between San Ildefonso Street and Justo Sierra Street in the
historic center of
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
.
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 ( , ; 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 net ...
. 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.
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 and an example of Emotional architecture. Goeritz was a close collaborator of architect
Luis Barragán 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, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
, about 130 km south of
United States-Mexican border. It has been in operation since 1970, and it currently has three large reflecting telescopes.
Academics
UNAM is organized in
schools or colleges, rather than
departments
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
* Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
. Both
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, ...
and
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
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., ...
s, in
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Counting ENES, CCH, FES (Facultad de Estudios Superiores),
higher-secondary, undergraduate and graduate students, UNAM has over 324,413 students, making it one of the
world's largest universities
The following is a list of largest universities in the world by country listing only the largest university in each country. This is not a list of largest individual campuses with in-person (non-distance) enrollment. This list includes distance en ...
.
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
**
School of Architecture
**
School of Arts and Design
**
School of Chemistry
**
School of Economics
**
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
**
School of Medicine
**
School of Music
**
School of Odontology
**
School of Philosophy and Letters
**
School of Political and Social Sciences
**
School of Psychology
**
School of Sciences
**
School of Veterinarian Medicine and Animal Science
* National Schools (only have undergraduate degrees)
**
National School of Cinematographic Arts
**
National School of Earth Sciences
**
National School of Languages, Linguistics and Translation
**
National School of Nursing and Obstetrics
**
National School of Social Work
**
National Preparatory School (with 9 high schools)
** National School of High Studies
Morelia
Morelia (; from 1545 to 1828 known as Valladolid; Otomi language, Otomi: ) is a city and municipal seat of the municipalities of Mexico, municipality of Morelia in the north-central part of the state of Michoacán in central Mexico. It is both th ...
(in the state of
Michoacan)
** National School of High Studies León (in the state of
Guanajuato
Guanajuato, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guanajuato, is one of the 32 states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guanajuato, 46 municipalities and its cap ...
)
** 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.
Rankings
UNAM is consistently ranked as the best university in Mexico by most academic rankings, as well as one of the top 10 in Latin America. World rankings tend to position it within the 100 to 300 range.

Research
UNAM has excelled in many areas of research. For instance, it was recognized by UNESCO as producing globally some of the most impactful research on Artificial Intelligence.
It has also consistently secured top positions in the international robotics competition RoboCup, often claiming first places. The university houses many of Mexico's premiere research institutions. UNAM is currently recognized as one of the most international research universities in Latin America.
Despite the low percentage of funding invested in research and development in Mexico, the UNAM stands out as a research-oriented university with international competitiveness across all fields of knowledge. The UNAM is likely also the Mexican institution, whether public or private, with the greatest infrastructure and investment in basic research. For instance, some studies have attributed to it more than 50% of Mexico's scientific production, followed by several prominent public universities (e.g., CINVESTAV/IPN, UAM, UdeG, UANL), public hospitals, and research centers directly affiliated with the National Council of Science and Technology.
In recent years, it has attracted students and hired professional scientists from all over the world, most notably from Europe, other countries in Latin America, India, and the United States, creating a unique and diverse scientific community.

Scientific research at UNAM is divided between colleges, 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
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 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.
Athletics
Professional football club
UNAM's
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club,
Club Universidad Nacional
Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., simply known as Pumas UNAM, is a professional association football, football club based in Mexico City. The club competes in Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football league system, Mexican football. Founded ...
, participates in
Liga MX
Liga MX, also known as Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Mexico and the highest level of the Mexican football league system. Formerly known as Liga Mayor (1943–1949) and also as Primera Divis ...
, the top division of Mexican football. The club became two-time consecutive champions of the
Apertura, and the
Clausura in 2004. Their home ground is the
Estadio Olímpico Universitario
University Olympic Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium located inside Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, 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 ...
.
College football team
The
Pumas CU represents UNAM in
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
since 1927. Is one of the most successful football programs in Mexico.
The team maintains an historic fierce rivalry with the
National Polytechnic Institute (IPN) football program, the "
Águilas Blancas
Águilas () is a municipality and seaport of southeastern Spain, in the province of Murcia. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida, near the border with the Province of Almer� ...
" (White Eagles), due to both of them being the biggest public universities in the country.
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.
Culture
Seal
The university logo was designed by
José Vasconcelos
José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexicans, Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial pers ...
in 1920, a prolific ideologue of pan-American identity and Mexican culture in particular. As rector of the university, he expressed the importance of ending the oppression and the bloody confrontations of yesteryear, with the new battlefields being those of culture and education, as means to achieve a new era of unification of Latin Americans. He imprinted this vision in the university seal, featuring a
Mexican eagle and an
Andean condor, forming a double-headed eagle supported by an allegory of volcanoes and cacti (a reference to the
foundational myth of Tenochtitlan). In the central part of the shield is the map of
Latin America
Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...
, 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
José Vasconcelos Calderón (28 February 1882 – 30 June 1959), called the "cultural " of the Mexican Revolution, was an important Mexicans, Mexican writer, philosopher, and politician. He is one of the most influential and controversial pers ...
, 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 () was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from 20 November 1910 to 1 December 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It saw the destruction of the Federal Army, its ...
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 Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
included it in a list of one of the most remarkable club logos in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
.
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-communist student group, who renamed the place from "
Justo Sierra Auditorium" to "
Che Guevara
Ernesto "Che" Guevara (14th May 1928 – 9 October 1967) was an Argentines, Argentine Communist revolution, Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and Military theory, military theorist. A majo ...
Auditorium". While most of its students usually adhere to
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political ideologies and movements, the university has also produced several prominent
right-wing
Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
and
neoliberal
Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...
politicians and businessmen, such as President
Carlos Salinas de Gortari, catholic rector
Manuel Gómez Morín 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
*
SAFIR
Notable people
Nobel laureates
All three of Mexico's Nobel laureates are alumni of UNAM:
*
Alfonso García Robles (alumnus) -
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
, 1982
*
Octavio Paz (alumnus) -
Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
, 1990
*
Mario Molina (alumnus) -
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...
, 1995
In addition, eleven faculty of UNAM have taken part of the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
(
Ana María Cetto twice), in 1995, 2005 and 2007; as members of the
Pugwash Conference, the
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology, nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was ...
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 "provide governments at all levels with scientific information that they can use to develop climate policies". The World Met ...
.
Noted faculty
:''See also
:Academic staff of the National Autonomous University of Mexico''

*
Miguel Alcubierre, theoretical physicist
*
Gabriel Careaga Medina, sociologist
*
Maria Leoba Castañeda Rivas, lawyer
*
Max Cetto, architect
*
Mónica Clapp, mathematician
*
Alejandro Corichi, astrophysicist
*
Javier Corral Jurado, politician
*
Jesús A. De Loera, mathematician
*
Erich Fromm
Erich Seligmann Fromm (; ; March 23, 1900 – March 18, 1980) was a German-American social psychologist, psychoanalyst, sociologist, humanistic philosopher, and democratic socialist. He was a German Jew who fled the Nazi regime and set ...
, philosopher and psychoanalyst
*
Adolfo Gilly, historian
*
Teodoro González de León, architect
*
Jorge González Torres, politician
*
José Gaos, philosopher
*
Laura Hernández Guzmán, psychologist
*
Isabel Hubard Escalera, mathematician
*
José Miguel Insulza
José Miguel Insulza Salinas (born June 2, 1943) is a Chilean politician, lawyer, and academic serving as a senator for the Arica y Parinacota Region since 2018. He previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1999 and Ministe ...
, a
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
an politician, secretary of the
Organization of American States
The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
*
Paul Kirchhoff, anthropologist and ethnohistorian
*
Larry Laudan, philosopher
*
Juan Carlos Laguna, musician (guitar)
*
Enrique Leff, political ecologist and economist
*
Miguel León-Portilla
Miguel León-Portilla (22 February 1926 – 1 October 2019) was a Mexican anthropologist and historian, specializing in Aztec culture and literature of the pre-Columbian and colonial eras. Many of his works were translated to English and he was ...
, historian and Nahuatl language researcher
*
Florian Luca, mathematician
*
Rodrigo Medellín, ecologist
*
Rodolfo Neri Vela, astronaut
*
Edmundo O'Gorman, historian and writer
*
Kiyoto Ota, sculptor
*
Margarita Peña (1937-2018), writer, educator
*
Arturo Rosenblueth, physiologist
*
Graciela Salicrup (1935–1982), architect, archaeologist and mathematician
*
Juan José Sánchez Sosa, psychologist
*
Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez, a Spanish-born philosopher
*
Manuel Sandoval Vallarta, physicist and
cosmic ray
Cosmic rays or astroparticles 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 ...
researcher
*
Sara Sefchovich, writer
*
Jesus Savage
Jesus ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religi ...
, robotics researcher and founder of the Mexican Institute of Robotics
*
Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, lawyer
*
Carlos Slim, businessman and one of the
richest people in the world
Noted alumni

:See also
:National Autonomous University of Mexico alumni
World heads of state
*
Abel Pacheco (President of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
2002–2006)
*
Adolfo López Mateos
Adolfo López Mateos (; 26 May 1909 – 22 September 1969) was a Mexican politician and lawyer who served as President of Mexico from 1958 to 1964. Previously, he served as Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare, Secretary of Labor and Social ...
(President of Mexico 1958–1964)
*
Alfonso Portillo
Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera (born 24 September 1951) is a Guatemalan politician who served as the 45th president of Guatemala from 2000 to 2004.
He took office on 14 January 2000, representing the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), the p ...
(President of
Guatemala
Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
2000–2004)
*
Carlos Salinas de Gortari (President of Mexico 1988–1994)
*
José López Portillo y Pacheco (President of Mexico 1976–1982)
*
Luis Echeverría
Luis Echeverría Álvarez (; 17 January 1922 – 8 July 2022) was a Mexican lawyer, academic, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 57th president of Mexico from 1970 to 1976. Previously, ...
(President of Mexico 1970–1976)
*
Miguel Alemán Valdés (President of Mexico 1946–1952)
*
Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado (President of Mexico 1982–1988)
*
Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mayor of Mexico City from 2000 to 2005, President of Mexico 2018–2024)
*
Claudia Sheinbaum
Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (born 24 June 1962) is a Mexican politician, energy and climate change scientist, and academic who has served as the 66th president of Mexico since 2024. She is the List of elected and appointed female heads of state and ...
(
scientist
A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences.
In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
, Mayor of Mexico City,
President of Mexico
The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
2024-present)
Politicians
*
Abel Pacheco (President of
Costa Rica
Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...
)
*
Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senate, United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as President of the Citizens for Global S ...
(
U.S. Senator from California) - one summer
*
Álvaro García Linera
Álvaro Marcelo García Linera (; born 19 October 1962) is a Bolivian politician, sociologist, Marxist theoretician, and former guerrilla who served as the 38th vice president of Bolivia from 2006 to 2019. A member of the Movement for Soc ...
(vice-president of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, did not graduate)
*
Alejandro Encinas (Mayor of Mexico City)
*
Antonio Carrillo Flores (Cabinet Minister in several previous administrations, 1929, 1950)
*
Carlos Mendoza Davis (Governor of Baja California Sur)
*
Fernando Baeza Melendez (Senator and Governor of Chihuahua)
*
Luis Félix López (Secretary of Government of
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
)
*
Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera (Deputy, Senator and Governor of Sonora)
*
Miguel Ángel Mancera (Mayor of Mexico City)
*
Mark Kirk (
U.S. Senator from Illinois, did not graduate)
*
Rosario Robles (Mexican politician who served as the Secretary of Social Development)
*
Santiago Creel (senator)
*
Veton Surroi (
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
publicist and leader of the Kosovar Party
ORA)
*
Xóchitl Gálvez (Mexican Senator and Mexican presidential candidate)
Diplomats
*
Antonio Carrillo Flores (
Ministry of Mexican Foreign Affairs during the
Díaz Ordaz administration)
*
Jaime Torres Bodet (writer and politician,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Director-General (1948-1952))
*
Narciso Bassols (former ambassador to Russia, France, and Great Britain; former director of UNAM's School of Law)
*
Norma Lucía Piña Hernández
Norma Lucía Piña Hernández (born 29 July 1960) is a Mexican lawyer, educator, and president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation since 2 January 2023, being the first woman ever to hold that position. She has been a member of the S ...
(President of Mexico's
Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation
The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (, SCJN) is the Mexican institution serving as the country's federal high court and the spearhead organisation for the judiciary of the Mexican Federal Government.
Judges of the SCJN are appointed ...
(Chief Justice))
*
Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco (Ambassador of Mexico to Nigeria)
*
Rosario Green (
Ministry of Mexican Foreign Affairs during the
Zedillo administration)
Artists, writers, and humanists

*
Abraham Cruzvillegas (artist)
*
Adolfo Sánchez Vázquez (philosopher and writer)
*
Agustín Landa Verdugo (architect and urban planner)
*
Alejandro Rossi (philosopher and writer)
*
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( ; ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. List of awards and nominations received by Alfonso Cuarón, His accolades include four Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and seven BAFTA Awards.
Cuarón made h ...
(film director)
*
Alfonso García Robles (diplomat)
*
Alfonso Reyes (writer, and diplomat)
*
Ana Colchero (actress)
*
Mercedes Durand (journalist and poet)
*
Adelina Nicholls (activist)
*
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde ( ; born Audrey Geraldine Lorde; February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was an American writer, professor, philosopher, Intersectional feminism, intersectional feminist, poet and civil rights activist. She was a self-described "Bl ...
(writer, poet and activist)
*
Emiliano Monge
*
Ayako Tsuru (mural artist)
*
Bolívar Echeverría (philosopher)
*
Carlos Fuentes
Carlos Fuentes Macías (; ; November 11, 1928 – May 15, 2012) was a Mexican novelist and essayist. Among his works are ''The Death of Artemio Cruz'' (1962), '' Aura'' (1962), '' Terra Nostra'' (1975), '' The Old Gringo'' (1985) and '' Christop ...
(essayist)
*
Carlos Monsiváis (editorialist and writer)
*
Carmen Aristegui (journalist)
*
Chespirito (screenwriter)
*
Elena Poniatowska (journalist and writer)
*
Fernando del Paso (writer)
*
Francisco Laguna Correa (writer)
*
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...
(filmmaker, author, and actor)
*
Horst Matthai Quelle (philosopher)
*
Jacobo Zabludovsky (lawyer and journalist)
*
Jaime Maussan (television personality)
*
Javier Solorzano (journalist)
*
Jorge Volpi (novelist and essayist)
*
José Emilio Pacheco (writer)
*
Josefina Muriel (bibliophile)
*
Juan García Esquivel (musician)
*
Juan Rulfo (writer)
*
Julio Estrada (UNAM scholar)
*
Julio Scherer García (author and journalist)
*
Ilse Gradwohl (painter)
*
Marcela Del Río Reyes (writer and educator)
*
Margarita Peña (writer and educator)
*
Natalie Korneitsik (journalist, tv person)
*
Maruxa Vilalta (dramatist)
*
Octavio Paz (poet and essayist)
*
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)
*
Subcomandante Marcos
Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente (born 19 June 1957) is a Mexican insurgent, the former military leader and spokesman for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN) in the ongoing Chiapas conflict,Pasztor, S. B. (2004). "Marcos, Subcoman ...
(sociologist)
*
Tenoch Huerta (actor)
*
Teodoro González de León (architect)
*
Veronica Castro (movie star)
*
Victoria Espinosa (theatre director, academic and activist)
*
William F. Buckley (writer and political philosopher)
*
Yael Bitrán (historian and translator)
*
David Camorlinga Tagle (sculptor)
*
Yan María Yaoyólotl Castro (lesbian feminist)
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
Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...
, USA)
*
Fernando Antonio Bermúdez Arias (prominent physician, cardiologist, scientist, writer, teacher, historian, artist, and social defender)
*
Ignacio Chávez (prominent Mexican physician, founded the first
cardiology
Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
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
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area, Longwood Medical Area in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is the third oldest medical school in the Un ...
*
Alberto P. León (physician, professor, and Secretary of Health of Mexico)
*
Alethse de la Torre Rosas (infectious disease specialist, and Director General of the Centro Nacional para la Prevención y Control del VIH/SIDA)
*
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)
*
Leopoldo Salazar Viniegra (doctor, psychiatrist)
Scientists
*
Ángela Alessio Robles
Ángela María Alessio Robles y Cuevas (30 March 1917 - 27 April 2004) was a Mexican civil engineer and town planner. In the late 1940s and 1950s she was Director General of Planning for the capital of Mexico City, and then the President of Planni ...
(
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...
and town planner)
*
Alfonso Caso y Andrade (archaeologist)
*
Antonio Lazcano (biologist and evolutionist, director of
The Lynn Margulis Centre for Evolutionary Biology)
*
Carlos Frenk
Carlos Silvestre Frenk (born 27 October 1951) is a Mexican-British cosmologist. Frenk graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the University of Cambridge, spending his early research career in the United States, before ...
(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 objects)
*
Guillermo Oliver (biologist and professor at
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
)
*
Jerzy Rzedowski
Jerzy Rzedowski Rotter (27 December 1926 – March 2023) was a Polish-born Mexican botanist, whose focus was on Mexican floristics, taxonomy, and ecology.
Early life and education
Rzedowski was born in Lwów, Poland (now in Ukraine) to Arnold a ...
(plant scientist, pioneer in the field of neotropical
floristics
Floristics is the study of plants of geographical regions. It is a branch of phytogeography, which technically makes it a branch of botany, geography, and a subbranch of biogeography. Harvard University has a history of research with early contr ...
)
*
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
Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (March 16, 1925 – September 13, 2004) was a Mexican chemist known as co-inventor and the first to synthesize an oral contraceptive, progestin norethisterone.
Career summary
Miramontes was born in Tepic, Nayar ...
(co-inventor of the contraceptive pill)
*
Marcos Moshinsky (theoretical physicist, whose work in the field of elementary particles won him the
Prince of Asturias Prize for Scientific and Technical Investigation and the UNESCO Science Prize)
*
Mario Molina (co-discoverer of
decomposition of ozone with
CFC aerosol
An aerosol is a suspension (chemistry), suspension of fine solid particles or liquid Drop (liquid), droplets in air or another gas. Aerosols can be generated from natural or Human impact on the environment, human causes. The term ''aerosol'' co ...
s,
Nobel laureate in Chemistry)
*
Miguel Alcubierre (theoretical and computational physicist; see
Alcubierre metric)
*
Miguel de Icaza (free software programmer, co-founder of
GNOME
A gnome () is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and widely adopted by authors, including those of modern fantasy literature. They are typically depict ...
)
*
Monica Olvera de la Cruz (soft matter theorist)
*
Nabor Carrillo Flores (a soil mechanics expert, a nuclear energy advisor and former president of UNAM)
*
Ricardo Miledi (neuroscientist, pioneer of the calcium hypothesis of neurotransmitter release)
*
Rodolfo Neri Vela (the first Mexican in space)
*
Salvador Zubirán (physician, founder of the
National Institute of Nutrition)
*
Shlomo Eckstein (economist and President of
Bar-Ilan University
Bar-Ilan University (BIU, , ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public research university in the Tel Aviv District city of Ramat Gan, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic university institution. It has 20,000 ...
)
*
Susana López Charretón (virologist and researcher)
*
Víctor Neumann-Lara (pioneer in
graph theory
In mathematics and computer science, graph theory is the study of ''graph (discrete mathematics), graphs'', which are mathematical structures used to model pairwise relations between objects. A graph in this context is made up of ''Vertex (graph ...
)
*
Yair Israel Piña López (physicist, NASA researcher)
Business people
*
Carlos Slim (Studied at UNAM's School of Engineering, and became a tech businessman, billionaire, and the current
fourth richest person in the world)
*
Alfredo Harp Helú (businessman, billionaire, and former owner of the biggest
Latin American
Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America).
Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...
bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
,
Banamex).
*
Enrique de la Madrid (Studied at UNAM's Law School, and served as one of the directors for Latin America at the
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc ( zh, t_hk=滙豐; initialism from its founding member The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) is a British universal bank and financial services group headquartered in London, England, with historical and business li ...
bank.)
*
Manuel Gómez Morin (Studied at UNAM's Law School, and was a co-founder and first president of the
Bank of Mexico.)
*
Arturo Elías Ayub (Business man who was chairman of
UNAM Pumas Soccer team.)
*
Riobóo Martín (Civil Engineering businessman, founder of "
Grupo Riobóo", which has constructed large scale infrastructure projects for
Mexico City
Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, including Subway lines 1,2,3, the indoor olympic arena: "
Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera", the Olympic pool: "
Alberca Olímpica Francisco Márquez," and the palace of sports: "
Palacio de los Deportes").
* Pepe Carral (Studied at UNAM's Law School, had his own company, and served as one of the directors for
Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (Bank of America) (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in ...
in Mexico.)
*
Delia González (Studied at UNAM's Art School, her company focuses on designing and selling silver Mexican-style jewelry for
Macys,
Bloomingdales and
Juan Gabriel's Funeral
).
Athletes
*
Hugo Sánchez (Mexican football player,
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...
, former
Mexico national team and
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001 ...
manager)
*
Daniel Vargas (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
The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...
Rio 2016)
*
René Ahumada (born 1935), Mexican Olympic sprinter
See also
*
List of universities in Mexico
*
DGSCA (Dirección General de Servicios de Cómputo Académico, Hub of Computer Sciences/Engineering in UNAM)
*
XHUNAM-TV ("Teveunam", UNAM's educational and cultural television channel)
* ''
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
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Autonomous University Of Mexico
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
Mexico, National Autonomous University of
1910 establishments in Mexico
Public universities and colleges in Mexico
Universities in Mexico City
Coyoacán