Mexico, University of

(Universidad Nacional Antónoma de México), the largest university in Mexico. Founded in 1551 by a decree signed by Charles V, it opened in 1553 as the Royal Catholic University of Mexico City. For three centuries it was controlled by the Catholic Church. Closed in 1867 by the government of President B. Juárez, it was reopened in 1910 with faculties of law, medicine, engineering, and architecture. In 1929 it became autonomous and was renamed the Mexican National Autonomous University.

As of 1973 the university comprised faculties of law, philosophy and letters, the natural sciences, medicine, chemistry, engineering, business administration, and political and social sciences; schools of architecture, economics, music, nursing and obstetrics, dentistry, veterinary medicine and zootechnics, and art; and centers of applied mathematics and systems research, computing services, foreign languages, literary studies, Mayan studies, Hispanic linguistics, materials research, and classics translators. The university also has institutes of biology (Botanical Garden), physics, geophysics, geography, geology, engineering, bibliographical research (National Library), biomedical research, economics, aesthetics, philosophy, comparative law, history, social research, mathematics, and chemistry. Other facilities include a nuclear research laboratory and the national astronomical observatory, founded in 1878. In addition to the Central Library, founded in 1924 and containing 1.8 million volumes, there are about 40 specialized libraries attached to the faculties, schools, and research institutes. In 1973 the university had an enrollment of more than 103,000 students and a faculty of 9,500.