Historic educational architecture
Introduction
The Old College of San Ildefonso is a museum in Mexico City, located on the plate of the Zócalo "Plaza de la Constitución (Mexico City)") on one side of the government building of Mexico City, which is dedicated to holding temporary exhibitions and also has its own collection, located in the AHUNAM,[1] forged when this was an important Jesuit college and when it was the headquarters of the National Preparatory School of the National University of Mexico, between 1867 and 1989. And it is notable for the set of murals made on its walls between 1922 and 1940, by the most prominent artists of Mexican muralism.
Considered one of the most important cultural spaces in national life, the Antiguo Colegio is considered one of the most important colonial buildings in the historic center of Mexico City. The architectural complex has three levels and is made up of two areas: the one belonging to the Baroque period with three patios (century), and the one built to the south of the previous one, built between 1907 and 1931.
History of the building
The Colegio de San Ildefonso was one of the most important educational institutions in the capital of New Spain. Its foundation by the Jesuits occurred in the year 1588, as a seminary where the students of the Congregation resided. And around 1618 it began to function under the royal patronage granted by Philip III, thus establishing the Royal and Oldest College of San Ildefonso. At the beginning of the century it was rebuilt, giving rise to the building we know today.
After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1767, the building had various functions: barracks for a battalion of the Flanders Regiment, a school administered by the viceregal government and directed by the secular clergy, temporary headquarters of the School of Jurisprudence, some chairs of the School of Medicine and barracks for the North American and French troops in 1847 and 1862 respectively.
In 1867, the government of Benito Juárez undertook a reform in the field of education and its institutions and founded the National Preparatory School, an institution that was established in the building of the Colegio de San Ildefonso. Its first director was Dr. Gabino Barreda (1818-1881). In 1910, the National Preparatory School became part of the National University founded by Justo Sierra.
This building is also known for its relevance in mural painting, since it is considered that the Mexican muralism movement began on its walls. It contains paintings by Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco, among others. For more than six decades it continued to be the cradle of several generations of intellectuals and personalities. In 1978 the building stopped being the No. 1 campus of the ENP and due to this the building remained closed to the public until 1992, during this period the building was restored to open its doors to the public as its current name, with the aim of hosting relevant temporary exhibitions showing and thus disseminating the archaeological, historical and artistic heritage of Mexico and other cultures. Since then it has been administered by a tripartite mandate made up of UNAM, CONACULTA and the Government of Mexico City.[2][3].