National Autonomous University of Mexico
| Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico | |
Official seal of the University, designed by rector José Vasconcelos
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| Latin: Universitas Nationalis Autonoma Mexici | |
| Motto | Por mi raza hablará el espíritu |
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Motto in English
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"For my race, the spirit shall speak" |
| Type | Public university |
| Established | 22 September 1910 |
| Endowment | US$2.4 billion (2012) |
| Rector | Enrique Graue Wiechers |
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Academic staff
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36,750 (As of 2012[update]) |
| Students | 324,413 (2011–2012 academic year[update]) |
| Undergraduates | 187,195 (As of 2012[update]) |
| Postgraduates | 26,169 (As of 2012[update]) |
| Location |
Mexico City 19°19′44″N 99°11′14″W / 19.32889°N 99.18722°WCoordinates: 19°19′44″N 99°11′14″W / 19.32889°N 99.18722°W |
| Campus | Urban, 7.3 km2 (2.8 sq mi), main campus only |
| Colors | Blue and gold |
| Athletics | 41 varsity teams |
| Mascot | Puma |
| Website | www |
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The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Spanish: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, - literal translation: Autonomous National University of Mexico, UNAM) is the largest university in Latin America. As a public research university in Mexico City, the UNAM is widely regarded by many university world rankings as the leading university of the Spanish-speaking world. UNAM was founded, in its modern form, on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to its preceding institution the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (founded on 21 September 1551 by a royal decree of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and brought to a definitive closure in 1865 by Maximilian I of Mexico). To this date, the National Autonomous University of Mexico owns and uses for academic activities the old buildings located in downtown Mexico City that once belonged to the old Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. UNAM's autonomy, granted in 1929, has given it the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without interference from the government. This has had a profound effect on academic life at the university, which some claim boosts academic freedom and independence.
The UNAM generates a number of different publications in diverse areas, such as mathematics, physics and history.
Besides being one of the most recognized universities in Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world in general, its campus is one of the largest and most artistically detailed. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was designed by some of Mexico's best-known architects of the 20th century. 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.
The university was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra, then Minister of Education in the Porfirio Díaz 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 Phillip on behalf of Charles I of Spain and brought to a definitive closure in 1865 by Maximilian I of Mexico. Instead of reviving what he saw as an anachronistic institution with strong ties to the Roman Catholic Church, he aimed to 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 and encompass the ideas of the dominant Mexican liberalism.
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