Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana

History

After the historic 1968 Tlatelolco massacre in Mexico, and other subsequent movements in favor of education and social improvements, the need for comprehensive education reform in Mexico was evident.

In 1973, during the administration of President Luis Echeverria Alvarez, the National Association of Universities and Institutions of Higher Education (ANUIES) presented a document to the President noting the need to establish a new university in the Mexico City's metropolitan area, taking into consideration issues such as increasing student demand and the increasing failure of existing universities to admit more students.

It was then proposed that the nascent university project also constituted an opportunity to modernize higher education in the country. The expected characteristics of the new university were for it to be public, metropolitan, independent, in addition to having innovative educational and organizational terms.

It is under such expectations that the law comes into force for the creation of the Autonomous Metropolitan University, on January 1 1974. On January 10 of that year architect Pedro Ramirez Vazquez was appointed as the first Rector of the UAM.

The University consisted at the moment of its creation of three units, which are located in Iztapalapa, Azcapotzalco and Xochimilco, with the idea of promoting decentralization and allowing the full development of each. Empirically, scientific research majors were located in Iztapalapa (UAM-I) Unit, the traditional careers such as civil engineering and architecture at the Azcapotzalco (UAM-A) Unit and the area of health in the Xochimilco Unit (UAM -X). Subsequently, it was decided that their internal organization would be composed of Divisions and Academic Departments, creating a contrast with the Schools and Colleges of existing universities. Each Division would group different areas of knowledge and each Academic Department related disciplines, in order to give a flexible structure that prevents the lag that education had suffered in relation to the progress of science.

The first Rector of the Iztapalapa Unit was Dr. Alonso Fernandez González and began operations on September 30, 1974. In turn, the Rector of the Azcapotzalco Unit was Dr. Juan Casillas García de León, which opened its doors on November 11, 1974. For the Xochimilco Unit the first Rector was Dr. Ramon Villarreal Perez, initiating teaching also on November 11, 1974. Recently, the possibility of creating a new unit of the UAM was analyzed.

On April 26, 2005 the Academic College of the institution approved the creation of the Cuajimalpa campus, appointing in June of that year Dr. Fresán Magdalena Orozco as the first Rector. The activities of the Unit officially began on September 14, 2005, using different locations, at first at the Universidad Iberoamericana. Then he took three temporary facilities: Baja California, Artifice and Constituents Constituents adding a fourth in 647. His final location was achieved in 2014 on the grounds of "Scorpio", ancient land of the Zona Especial Forestal y de Repoblación Bosques Industriales La Venta, which had not been built by the lack of legal certainty and the opposition of local people to Ocotal forest development in La Venta, Cuajimalpa.

Campuses

The university system has 5 units, with campuses located in different boroughs of Mexico City and in the adjacent state:

• UAM Azcapotzalco — located in Azcapotzalco, northern Mexico City
• UAM Iztapalapa — located in Iztapalapa, eastern Mexico City
• UAM Cuajimalpa — located in Cuajimalpa, western Mexico City
• UAM Xochimilco — located in Coyoacán, southern Mexico City.
• UAM Lerma — located near Toluca, in the State of Mexico.

Main office

UAM Rectoría is the main office of the university system. It is located in the south of the city, on Canal de Miramontes street near Xochimilco.

Organizational Structure

Established in articles 6 to 31 of its Organic Law it follows a model based on College Organs, Academic Units, Divisions and Academic Departments, each with different powers and obligations.

Each of the 5 Academic Units has an individual organization chart, with a Unit Rector as well as a General Rector for the entire institution.

Rectors

Gallery

Image:UAM X Biblioteca.JPG|UAM Xochimilco Image:UAM X RECTORIA.JPG|UAM Rectoría Image:UAMI NITE.JPG|UAM Iztapalapa Image:UAMI NITE BELKIN.JPG|UAM Iztapalapa Image:UAMI CBI NITE.JPG|UAM Iztapalapa Image:UAM Recotria general.JPG|UAM Rectoría Image:UAM-RG.jpg|UAM Rectoría Image:Escultura en la Rectoria General de la UAM.jpg|UAM Rectoría Image:Puerta del tiempo UAM.JPG Image:Fachada RG UAM.JPG|UAM Rectoría Image:UAM_Azcapotzalco.jpg|Unit Azcapotzalco Image:Edifcio_o_xochimilco.JPG|Unit Xochimilco Image:UAM_Cuajimalpa.jpg|Unit Cuajimalpa Image:CasaImprentaDF.JPG|House of the First Print Shop in the Americas in historic Centro district of Mexico City, now the Continuing Education Center of UAM.

Notes

References

References

1. "UAM. Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Home". Uam.mx.
2. "El Ranking | Mejores Universidades México 2019". Rankings.americaeconomia.com.
3. "ECUM". ECUM.
4. "QS World University Rankings".
5. (2016-07-04). "UAM Cuajimalpa". Cua.uam.mx.
6. La Jornada. "Avances para el campus de la UAM en Cuajimalpa - La Jornada". Jornada.unam.mx.
7. (10 May 2010). "La Jornada: Poderosos grupos impiden edificar la UAM-Cuajimalpa". Jornada.unam.mx.
8. por Alejandra Sánchez. (2005-06-16). "Defienden su bosque del campus UAM Cuajimalpa | La Crónica de Hoy". Cronica.com.mx.
9. [[:en:UAM Cuajimalpa (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana)]]
10. CÁMARA DE DIPUTADOS DEL H. CONGRESO DE LA UNIÓN. "LEY ORGÁNICA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA METROPOLITANA".
11. UAM. Centro de Información y Documentación Histórica. "Rectores Generales".
12. UAM. Dirección de Comunicación Social. (2021-06-14). "JOSÉ ANTONIO DE LOS REYES HEREDIA FUE NOMBRADO RECTOR GENERAL DE LA UAM".
13. UAM. Dirección de Comunicación Social. (2025-07-02). "Gustavo Pacheco López, nuevo rector general de la UAM".