Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico

Timeline

1. c. 1550–1551Mexico City (Tenochtitlan) · New SpainThe first viceroy of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza, the Mexico City authorities, and the religious orders requested the establishment of a "university of all sciences" locally, so that the sons of Spaniards and indigenous people could learn Catholic doctrine and the various disciplines and avoid idleness. The petition sought privileges comparable to those of Salamanca, forming the direct background of the 1551 decree and also making this object's timeframe intersect the 1501–1550 range.
2. 1551–1553Toro / Mexico City · CastilePrince Philip signed the decree at Toro in the name of Charles V, permitting a university in Mexico City with an annual grant of a thousand gold pesos and Salamanca-style privileges on condition. On 25 January 1553 Viceroy Luis de Velasco announced the opening, with Alonso de la Veracruz and Cervantes de Salazar among the early lecturers.
3. 1562–1867Mexico City · Mexico CityIn 1562 the crown lifted the restrictions on Salamanca's privileges. A bull of Clement VIII in 1595 spread the title "Pontifical University," although an earlier papal approval had been withheld by the Council of the Indies. The university trained clergy and officials during the colonial period and was closed during 19th-century liberal reforms; the National University founded by Justo Sierra in 1910 inherited some of its buildings and memory but is not the same legal entity.