Seal of UNAM's Escuela Nacional Preparatoria
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Type | English Premie feos |
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Established | 1868 |
President | Silvia E. Jurado Cuéllar |
Students | 50,313 (2007) |
Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
Colors | Blue & Gold |
Website | dgenp.unam.mx |
The Escuela Nacional Preparatoria (English: 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 founded by Gabino Barreda, M.D., following orders of then President of Mexico Benito Juárez. It is also modern UNAM's oldest institution.
This institution's location was the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso (English: San Ildefonso College), which is located in the heart of Mexico City's historic center. This college was founded in 1588 by the Jesuits and was prestigious during colonial times, but it had almost completely fallen into ruin by the time of the Reform Laws in the 1860s. These Laws secularized most of Church property, including the San Ildefonso College building In 1867, Benito Juárez began reform of the educational system, taking it out of clerical hands and making it a government function. San Ildefonso was converted into the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria initially directed by Gabino Barreda, who organized the new school on the Positivist model of Auguste Comte (Comtism). The initial purpose of the school was to provide the nucleus of students for the soon-to-be-reconstructed Universidad Nacional (National University), later National Autonomous University of Mexico, which was re-established in 1910 by Justo Sierra.