BUAP

Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla

ICOMTA 2023 will be held at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP), whose roots go back to the 16th century, which is a great pillar of higher education and scientific research in the region, and occupies a prominent place among public universities from the country.

What is now the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla is the result of a long history that dates back to May 9, 1578, when a group of religious Jesuits established their residence in Puebla, and at the express request of the City Council they founded the Seminary of the Society of Jesus of San Jerónimo. Nine years later, they erected a school destined to the formation of the new generations of New Spain. The institution was founded by means of a deed dated April 15, 1587 with the name of Colegio del Espíritu Santo. Around 1670 the construction of the building that we know today as Carolino began, a property that was finished well into the 18th century, although in the 19th century more additions were made, and the south and east facades were modified at the beginning of the 20th century.

Since its foundation, the Colegio del Espíritu Santo was the focus of humanism and science in the central-eastern region of what was then New Spain. The political conflicts in Spain, with the rise of the House of Bourbon to the Spanish throne and its confrontation with the Society of Jesus, had an impact on the Colegio del Espíritu Santo. On June 25, 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from the Spanish dominions by King Carlos III. Sixty-one Jesuit religious left for exile from the College. Once the expulsion was carried out, all the schools run by the Jesuits merged into one, which was called the Royal Caroline College, in honor of Carlos III, from which the old building of the Colegio del Espíritu Santo took its current name.

The State Congress granted the Benemérita title on April 2, 1987 and today it ranks among the best universities in the country.

In 1820, just one year before the consummation of Mexico’s Independence, the Jesuits returned to Puebla and their college, which they renamed the Royal College of the Holy Spirit, of San Jerónimo and San Ignacio de la Compañía de Jesús, whose existence was short-lived. , since it opened its doors on October 2 and the Jesuits were again expelled from the country on December 22. Once independence was achieved, the Regency of the Empire authorized the reestablishment of the institution under the name of Imperial Colegio de San Ignacio, San Jerónimo y Espíritu Santo. The fall of the Empire and the establishment of the Republic precipitated major changes in the College. In 1825 the local Congress transformed it into a State College, which gave it a public, secular and free character.

Jardín Botánico Universitario

At the dawn of the Revolution, the students of the Colegio del Estado were no strangers to the political concerns and democratic ideals championed by Francisco I. Madero. Along with the social and political struggles of the time, the students of the State College demanded its transformation into a university with full autonomy, launching movements in favor of such claim in 1917, 1923 and 1932.

Both the transformation of the College and the autonomy were demands taken up by conservative groups, in this historical context the governor of the state of Puebla, General Maximino Ávila Camacho, announced on February 1, 1937 the transformation of the College into a University. On April 14 of that year, the State Congress decreed the creation of the University. On April 23, the Organic Law of the University of Puebla was issued. For two decades the University remained under the direction of the government; However, when in 1951 the then Governor Rafael Ávila Camacho tried to militarize it, the demand for autonomy was reborn, which became a student movement that gained strength in 1956. Already then, a confrontation between two political currents was maintained within the University. inspired by antagonistic ideologies: the conservatives, protected by a fierce anti-communism, and the liberals, with whom a growing number of professors who promoted the development of science and research identified themselves. Both groups presented their proposals for autonomy. The unity of authorities, teachers and students managed to get the state government to send to the local congress a law initiative that granted autonomy to this House of Studies and the Official Gazette of the State of Puebla published on November 23 the Law of the Autonomous University of Puebla. Puebla.

The 1960s was a difficult period for the University due to the struggles between groups with opposing ideologies and political projects. Despite these turbulence, in January 1968 it was built on land belonging to the ejido of San Baltasar Campeche, south of the city of Puebla. In the following decade, a Critical, Democratic and Popular University model was imposed that strengthened scientific research and links with the most needy sectors of society. Likewise, a university extension work was developed.

The BUAP today

The Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla is a public and autonomous institution consolidated at the national level, committed to the comprehensive training of critical and reflective professionals and citizens at the upper secondary, higher and postgraduate levels of education, who are capable of generating, adapting, recreating , innovate and apply knowledge of quality and social relevance.

The University encourages research, creation and dissemination of knowledge, promotes inclusion, equal opportunities and connection; contributes as a community of knowledge to the development of art, culture, the solution of economic, environmental, social and political problems of the region and the country, under a policy of transparency and accountability, ethical principles, sustainable development, in defense of human rights, tolerance and honesty; contributing to the creation of a proactive, productive, fair and safe society.

Visit the BUAP: https://www.buap.mx/