The Ciudad Universitaria of Nuevo León in 1958, Its First Inhabitants

Abstract

The idea of a Ciudad Universitaria in Nuevo León was considered since the 1933 founding of the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, without it ever coming to anything. The idea emerged again between 1941 and 1943, but planning did not begin until 1950; the site was finally inaugurated in 1958. These years of delay forced university departments to wander among the aging mansions in downtown Monterrey, spaces that were inadequate for modern professional training, but that nevertheless contributed to the construction of a university community. This article explores the planning done at the time for the second Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico, with a special focus on the construction and inauguration of the first two buildings for academic departments and their impact on their respective student communities, as well as the appropriation processes during the first year of activities on this campus.