Founding of the University of Mexico

Timeline

1. c. 1550–1551Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) · New SpainViceroy Antonio de Mendoza, the Mexico City authorities, and the religious orders requested the establishment of a university of all faculties, so that the sons of Spaniards and indigenous people could learn Catholic doctrine and the various disciplines. The petition asked for privileges comparable to those of the University of Salamanca, forming the direct background of the 1551 edict.
2. 1551Toro · CastilePrince Philip issued the edict at Toro in Charles V's name, permitting a university in Mexico City with an annual grant of a thousand gold pesos and privileges modeled conditionally on Salamanca's. This edict came after the edict for San Marcos University in Lima of May that same year, but gave Mexico one of the earliest royal charters for a comprehensive university in North America.
3. 1553Mexico City · Mexico CityViceroy Luis de Velasco announced the opening, with Alonso de la Veracruz and Cervantes de Salazar among the early lecturers, and classes began in theology, law, medicine, and arts. The colonial university subsequently trained clergy and officials, becoming a key node in the institutionalization of higher education in the Americas.