Autonomous University of Puebla
Encyclopedia
The Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (BUAP) (Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla) is the oldest and largest university in Puebla
, Mexico
. Founded on 15 April 1587 as Colegio del Espíritu Santo, the school was sponsored by Society of Jesus
during most of the Spanish
colonial era before turning into a public college in 1825 and eventually into a public university
in 1937. This can be seen in many of the BUAP's Buildings in Puebla city downtwon, which were once colonial-era temples.
The flagship campus is located in the city of Puebla
, although more than nine facilities are distributed across the state. Currently, it is one of the 105 institutes participating in the Alice Experiment
at CERN
.
From these readings we can see the image of a University in a constant process of improvement, which has kept up with the times, always linked to science and culture and to the best interests of the Mexican people.
Understanding these facts helps to strengthen the pride of belonging to an institution whose merits are recognized nationally and internationally: the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
After several vicissitudes, and thanks to the resources of the carmine merchant Melchor de Covarrubias, on April 15 of 1587 the College of the Holy Spirit opened. The first rector was Father Diego Lopez de Mesa and one of the first remarkable students was Don Carlos de Sigüenza y Gongora. By the late 17th and early 18th century the humanists stood out, in particular Antonio del Rincón, Francisco Javier Solchaga, José Rafael Campoy, Diego José Abad, José Agustín de Castro, Francisco Javier Alegre and Francisco Javier Clavijero. In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled and their belongings were expropriated by King Charles III.
While the Jesuits were absent, the present University building was used for various purposes, among them the Colleges of San Geronimo and San Ignacio but, in practice, they were used as wineries and soldiers’ barracks.
>. Thus it became the Colegio del Estado (State College). Although complete separation from ecclesiastical authorities was achieved in governing the school, its rectors were still priests.
In 1833-1834 the school went through one of the most serious crises in its history. In 1843 they had 233 students. Despite the crisis, some of the people who graduated were as important as José María Lafragua, Fernando and Manuel Orozco, and Berra Manuel Carpio, and so on. In the same year it was known as Colegio Nacional (National School). In 1855 the General Study plan was implanted, issued by Santa Ana.
Its logo features a phoenix bird in a shield. On the top of the shield, the Greek goodness of knowledge, Athena
, is located.
The use of the word Autonomous means that, as a public university, it receives funds from the government. However, the university is free to arm and to change the programs in the university considers it necessary.
As a Macrouniversity, the 34% of the students in higher level in Puebla attend the BUAP, being more than 65,000 the students enrolled at the university.
The Lobos de la BUAP
soccer team is currently affiliated with the university, and features some students from Puebla's public university. They currently play in the Liga de Ascenso
league, the second most important soccer league in Mexico.
, the BUAP has several campuses located throughout the state to satisfy the students.
In Puebla City, there are four main zones in which the BUAP operates: the "Área Centro"(Center Area), located in downtown Puebla and featuring many colonial-era buildings; The "Ciudad Universitaria" (University City), located in the Southeast zone in Puebla city, and it is where the main headquarters of the BUAP are; the "Ärea Salud" (Health Area), which includes the University Hospital; and the "Angelopolis Area" (Angelopolis Area), which is the newest and features the University's Cultural Complex. Along with them, the university is responsible for 6 High Schools spread in the Puebla City.
Along with them, the University has 9 Regional Sections which operate in some of the biggest cities in Puebla State, and are: Acatzingo, Atlixco
, Chiautla, Chignahuapan, Cuetzalan
, Libres
, Tehuacan
, Tetela de Ocampo
and Zacapoaxtla
.
Finally, the BUAP has 3 "foreign academic units", which act almost autonomously, located in the cities of Tecamachalco
, La Magdalena Tlatlauquitepec
and Teziutlan
.
The University offer more than 300 programs, both in the undergraduate and postgraduate area. The 100% of its academic programs are certified by an external organism as being quality programs. The programs are agrouped into 4 areas: The Social Sciences and Humanities Area, The Natural Sciences and of Health, The Economic-Administrative Area and The Engineering and Exact Sciences Area.
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Founded on 15 April 1587 as Colegio del Espíritu Santo, the school was sponsored by Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
during most of the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
colonial era before turning into a public college in 1825 and eventually into a public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
in 1937. This can be seen in many of the BUAP's Buildings in Puebla city downtwon, which were once colonial-era temples.
The flagship campus is located in the city of Puebla
Puebla, Puebla
The city and municipality of Puebla is the capital of the state of Puebla, and one of the five most important colonial cities in Mexico. Being a planned city, it is located to the east of Mexico City and west of Mexico's main port, Veracruz, on the main route between the two.The city was founded...
, although more than nine facilities are distributed across the state. Currently, it is one of the 105 institutes participating in the Alice Experiment
A Large Ion Collider Experiment
ALICE is one of the six detector experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The other five are: ATLAS, CMS, TOTEM, LHCb, and LHCf. ALICE is optimized to study heavy ion collisions. Pb-Pb nuclei collisions will be studied at a centre of mass energy of 2.76 TeV per nucleon...
at CERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
.
History
The history of the university in Puebla goes back over more than four centuries that have been rich in experiences and events. This text aims to raise awareness as to some of the main events that have happened from the foundation of the institution until the present, and that have contributed to shaping the school’s profile.From these readings we can see the image of a University in a constant process of improvement, which has kept up with the times, always linked to science and culture and to the best interests of the Mexican people.
Understanding these facts helps to strengthen the pride of belonging to an institution whose merits are recognized nationally and internationally: the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla.
The Early Days (1578-1790)
On April 14, 1578, the Puebla city council asked the provincial leader of the Jesuits in New Spain if they could foundan educational institution. On May 9 of the same year, the Jesuits took up residence in this city.After several vicissitudes, and thanks to the resources of the carmine merchant Melchor de Covarrubias, on April 15 of 1587 the College of the Holy Spirit opened. The first rector was Father Diego Lopez de Mesa and one of the first remarkable students was Don Carlos de Sigüenza y Gongora. By the late 17th and early 18th century the humanists stood out, in particular Antonio del Rincón, Francisco Javier Solchaga, José Rafael Campoy, Diego José Abad, José Agustín de Castro, Francisco Javier Alegre and Francisco Javier Clavijero. In 1767 the Jesuits were expelled and their belongings were expropriated by King Charles III.
While the Jesuits were absent, the present University building was used for various purposes, among them the Colleges of San Geronimo and San Ignacio but, in practice, they were used as wineries and soldiers’ barracks.
Colegio Carolino 1790-1820
The failures in the education offered in the dispossessed properties of the old Jesuit colleges in 1790 forced Bishop Francisco Fabian y Fuero to combine them. Thus the Real Colegio Carolino was formed, in honor of Charles III, a name that already had been used since 1770 and remained until 1820, the year in which the Jesuits returned to Mexico. The first rector was the lawyer Jose Mariano Lezama y Camarillo.Royal College of the Holy Spirit (1820-1821)
The Jesuits returned. On October 2, 1820, classes began. Then the school was called Real Colegio del Espiritu Santo, de San Geronimo y San Ignacio de La Compañia de Jesus. Father Ignacio Maria Lerdo de Tejada was the rector. On December 22 the Jesuits were expelled once again.Imperial College (1821-1825)
After the Independence, the regency of the first empire authorized the reestablishment of the college under the name of Imperial Colegio de San Ignacio, San Geronimo y Espiritu Santo. The rector was Father Ignacio Gonzalez de la Peñuela.State College (1825-1937)
When the empire and the provisional government fell, major changes occurred in school structure. In 1825 the local congress gave the government <In 1833-1834 the school went through one of the most serious crises in its history. In 1843 they had 233 students. Despite the crisis, some of the people who graduated were as important as José María Lafragua, Fernando and Manuel Orozco, and Berra Manuel Carpio, and so on. In the same year it was known as Colegio Nacional (National School). In 1855 the General Study plan was implanted, issued by Santa Ana.
New Imperial Interruption (1862-1866)
During the French intervention and the Second Empire, the college and the city were attracted by the apparent security offered by the new government. The ephemeral nature of the empire and economic and political difficulties prevented school structures from being modified.Liberal Period
With the fall of the empire of Maximilian of Hapsburg, the school was completely transformed. Liberal ideas replaced Santa Ana’s regulations in education. Many liberals come to organize the educational system in Puebla. Among them were Ignacio Ramirez "El Nigromante" and Guillermo Prieto, but the most outstanding liberal was Ignacio Manuel Altamirano, who took over as president (rector) in early 1881 and made important modifications, which lasted until the college was transformed into a University. During the end of the 19th century and beginnings of the 20th century the height of the State College was achieved.Revolutionary Period
At this time, the dictatorship oppressed the people. The school was never separate from this reality, and among its students a desire for social renewal awakened. When Madero came to Puebla, the students had made their sympathy evident. This led to reprisals for Alfonso G. Alarcon, Luis Sanchez Ponton, Gil Jimenez and others who joined Madero´s cause against the dictatorship of Porfirio Díaz. Subsequently, the school was closed on July 24, 1919.University of Puebla (1937-1956)
On April 4, 1937, the University of Puebla was legally established, at the initiative of General Maximino Avila Camacho. The institution was at the mercy of the dictates of government, which motivated subsequent student movements. The first rector was alumnus Manuel L. Marquez. In 1941, under the excuse that our country had declared war upon Germany, Italy and Japan, there was an attempt to militarize the university. Thanks to a student movement, that idea failed.Universidad Autonoma de Puebla (1956-1987)
The University had wanted to be autonomous a since at least 1937. Nineteen years later –in 1956 – this wish came true. The course of this movement consisted of several preliminary plans prepared by groups of students, which were used by the Student Federation of Puebla until their goal was finally reached between 1956 and 1957. After student demonstrations, supported by the press, on 23 November 1956, the Organic Law of the Autonomous University of Puebla was published in the official newspaper. In this law the existence of an Honor Council was included, one with superior powers to the University Council, which led to an argument between liberal and conservative students until the law was modified in 1963, making the Honor Council disappear.Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (from 1987 to the present)
On April 1, 1987, representatives of the 50th Legislature, Carlos Barrientos de la Rosa, Guadalupe Sánchez Lozada, Miguel Guerra Castillo, Antonio Castelán Guarneros and Roberto Pozos Cuspinera, presented an initiative in the State Congress to bestow upon the Universidad Autónoma de Puebla the title of Benemérita (Distinguished). The initiative was approved in the legislative session on April 2, 1987, and the corresponding decree was issued. In 1991 the 51st local Legislature approved the Law of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, which was finally updated on December 10, 1998.Organization
The institution's motto is: "Pensar bien para vivir mejor" (Spanish for "Thinking well in order to live better").Its logo features a phoenix bird in a shield. On the top of the shield, the Greek goodness of knowledge, Athena
Athena
In Greek mythology, Athena, Athenê, or Athene , also referred to as Pallas Athena/Athene , is the goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, warfare, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, justice, and skill. Minerva, Athena's Roman incarnation, embodies similar attributes. Athena is...
, is located.
The use of the word Autonomous means that, as a public university, it receives funds from the government. However, the university is free to arm and to change the programs in the university considers it necessary.
As a Macrouniversity, the 34% of the students in higher level in Puebla attend the BUAP, being more than 65,000 the students enrolled at the university.
Athletics
The Sport teams of the university are named the Lobos (Wolves) BUAP. There are several sport facilities through the state for the students to take part in. The BUAP takes part in different competitions with representative teams in them.The Lobos de la BUAP
Lobos de la BUAP
Club de Fútbol Lobos de la Benemerita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla is a Mexican football club based in Puebla, Mexico. The club represents the Autonomous University of Puebla. The club's history goes back to the early 1930 when the club was known as Preparatoria formed exclusively by players that...
soccer team is currently affiliated with the university, and features some students from Puebla's public university. They currently play in the Liga de Ascenso
Liga de Ascenso
The Liga de Ascenso is the second professional level of the Mexican football league system. The champion of the competition is promoted to the Primera División de México ....
league, the second most important soccer league in Mexico.
Campus
As a public universityPublic university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
, the BUAP has several campuses located throughout the state to satisfy the students.
In Puebla City, there are four main zones in which the BUAP operates: the "Área Centro"(Center Area), located in downtown Puebla and featuring many colonial-era buildings; The "Ciudad Universitaria" (University City), located in the Southeast zone in Puebla city, and it is where the main headquarters of the BUAP are; the "Ärea Salud" (Health Area), which includes the University Hospital; and the "Angelopolis Area" (Angelopolis Area), which is the newest and features the University's Cultural Complex. Along with them, the university is responsible for 6 High Schools spread in the Puebla City.
Along with them, the University has 9 Regional Sections which operate in some of the biggest cities in Puebla State, and are: Acatzingo, Atlixco
Atlixco
Atlixco is a city and a municipality in the Mexican state of Puebla. It is located only 24 km south of the city of Puebla, yet it is 300 meters lower in altitude, at 1840 m. This drop in altitude causes a noticeable change in the weather of the city compared to the surrounding regions of the...
, Chiautla, Chignahuapan, Cuetzalan
Cuetzalán
Cuetzalan is a small town set high in the hills in the north of the Mexican state of Puebla, 183 kilometers from Puebla, the state capital. It is located in the Sierra Norte region. The town itself is characterized by sloping cobbled streets and numerous rustic buildings...
, Libres
Libres
Libres is the Spanish version of the debut album of the Italian band Sonohra, winners of the "Giovani" category at the Sanremo Music Festival 2008.Libres has 14 songs in the style of romantic rock, with guitars as the main instrument...
, Tehuacan
Tehuacán
Tehuacán is the second largest city in the Mexican state of Puebla, nestled in the Southeast Valley of Tehuacán, bordering the states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. The 2010 census reported a population of 248,716 in the city and 274,906 in its surrounding municipality of the same name, of which it serves...
, Tetela de Ocampo
Tetela de Ocampo
Tetela de Ocampo is a town and municipality in the Sierra Norte region of the Mexican state of Puebla."Tetela" is a name of Nahuatl origin, containing the elements tetl and tla : it thus means "place of many hills"...
and Zacapoaxtla
Zacapoaxtla
Zacapoaxtla is a city and seat of the municipality of Zacapoaxtla, in the Mexican state of Puebla. The city has a population of 8,062 inhabitants, while the municipality has 49,242 inhabitants at the 2000 census. The name means place where straw is counted, and it originates from Nahuatl roots:...
.
Finally, the BUAP has 3 "foreign academic units", which act almost autonomously, located in the cities of Tecamachalco
Tecamachalco
Tecamachalco is a municipality in the state of Puebla, Mexico....
, La Magdalena Tlatlauquitepec
La Magdalena Tlatlauquitepec
La Magdalena Tlatlauquitepec is a town and municipality in Puebla in south-eastern Mexico.The BUAP has a Foreign Academic Unit there.-References:...
and Teziutlan
Teziutlán
Teziutlán is a small city in the northeast of the Mexican state of Puebla. Its 2005 census population was 60,597. It also serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. The municipality has an area of 84.2 km² and a population of 88,970.Teziutlán is located at...
.
Academic Offer
The BUAP is in charge of some High Schools in Puebla which, accordingly to the Mexican newspaper El Universal, are amongst the best in Puebla.The University offer more than 300 programs, both in the undergraduate and postgraduate area. The 100% of its academic programs are certified by an external organism as being quality programs. The programs are agrouped into 4 areas: The Social Sciences and Humanities Area, The Natural Sciences and of Health, The Economic-Administrative Area and The Engineering and Exact Sciences Area.