Mexico's National Autonomous University (UNAM) campus in Mexico City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007. It may seem strange that a university campus would receive this recognition, but upon learning about the history of the campus and all that it encompasses, the designation makes perfect sense.

History of the UNAM

Mexico's principal university was founded on September 21, 1551, with the name of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico. It became the National University of Mexico in April 1910, shortly before the Mexican Revolution. Justo Sierra, educator and the university's first rector, presented the Constitutive Act of Higher Education, and then presented the project for the university itself, under the presidency of Porfirio Diaz. The university received its autonomous status in 1929, which gives it the freedom to define its own curriculum and manage its own budget without interference from the government. The UNAM is the largest and most important university in Mexico and Latin America.

The UNAM Campus

The university's present campus, which is known as the C.U. for Ciudad Universitaria (University City), is a large and very special place, with many attractions for visitors and locals to enjoy. The campus contains over 2,000 buildings and covers an area of 2,500 acres.

The campus was designed and built in the late 1940s and early 50s and was a collaborative effort by a variety of different professionals, including architects, artists, and engineers. It is considered to be a singular example of such a disparate group of professionals working together and a symbol of modernity of post-revolutionary Mexico.

The campus design incorporates green spaces and large open-air plazas as well as several museums, a stadium, an ecological reserve and botanical garden, making it a good spot to spend a day. One of the best-known features of the campus is the mosaic on the wall of the library building, which was created by Mexican architect and artist Juan O'Gorman (who also designed Diego Rivera's house studio). The campus also has a mural by prominent Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros and a mosaic by Diego Rivera decorating the exterior of the university's Olympic stadium.