Universidad station
Metro · 3 Line 3
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The story behind the icon
The station image is the official coat of arms of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It lies in the south of Mexico City, on Avenida Insurgentes Sur.
The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, forerunner of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, was founded by decree issued by Charles V in the middle of the sixteenth century, at the request of the viceroy Antonio de Mendoza and with the backing of the first bishop of Mexico, Fray Juan de Zumárraga.
In 1555 the Pope granted the University the title of pontifical, with statutes and privileges equal to those of the University of Salamanca. In 1929 it obtained its autonomy. It was inaugurated in 1953. The main buildings within the University City are the Rectorate tower, the Humanities tower, the Central Library, the Olympic stadium and the University Museum of Arts and Science, among others. During his rectorship, José Vasconcelos gave the university its present coat of arms, in which the Mexican eagle and the Andean condor, like a two-headed bird, protect the unfolding map of Latin America, from the northern border of Mexico to Cape Horn, embodying the unification of the Ibero-American peoples.
The motto of the UNAM, "Por mi raza hablará el espíritu", by José Vasconcelos, reveals the humanistic vocation with which it was conceived. José Vasconcelos took up the rectorship in 1920, at a time when the hopes of the Revolution were still alive; there was, however, great faith in the Nation and a redeeming spirit was abroad.