Stamped!

C.U.

National Autonomous University of Mexico

Ciudad Universitaria was built in the 1950s on a lava bed left by the Xitle volcano around 100 AD. UNESCO named its central campus a World Heritage Site in 2007 for the way it joins modern architecture with murals by Mexican artists.

  • 4Buildings
  • 4Traditions
  • 1952Oldest · Estadio Olímpico Universitario
  • 2008Newest · Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo

Planning the visit

  • Fly intoMexico City International Airport (MEX)

    Benito Juárez International is on the east side of Mexico City. The campus is in Coyoacán in the south, so plan on a long taxi or Metro ride across the city.

  • Getting aroundPumabús / Metro

    The university runs its own free Pumabús routes around the huge campus. Universidad and Copilco Metro stations on Line 3 serve the campus.

  • Colors and teams

    Classes and campus life are in Spanish. The main campus is simply 'C.U.' (say-oo) to students.

4 buildings to stamp

  1. Ciudad Universitaria
    Photo: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons

    Ciudad Universitaria

    Av. Universidad 3000, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City

    Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral planned this vast modern campus, completed in 1954 on the old lava fields of El Pedregal. Its central campus is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for blending modern buildings with murals by Siqueiros, Chávez Morado and Eppens.

    Built
    1954
    Architect
    Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral
    Style
    Modernist
    Today
    University campus
  2. Central Library
    Photo: Dead.rabbit, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Central Library

    Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City

    UNAM's most famous building is wrapped on all four sides in Juan O'Gorman's mural Historical Representation of Culture, made from natural coloured stones he collected all over Mexico. Its ten windowless upper floors were built to store books.

    Built
    1956
    Architect
    Juan O'Gorman, Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco
    Style
    Modernist
    Today
    University library
  3. Estadio Olímpico Universitario
    Photo: ProtoplasmaKid, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Estadio Olímpico Universitario

    Av. Insurgentes Sur s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, Mexico City

    The main stadium of the 1968 Summer Olympics, opened in 1952 as Mexico's largest. Diego Rivera's relief of coloured stones over the main entrance shows the university shield, a family and a feathered serpent.

    Built
    1952
    Architect
    Augusto Pérez Palacios, Jorge Bravo and Raúl Salinas
    Style
    Modernist
    Today
    Football stadium

  4. Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo

    Av. de los Insurgentes Sur 3000, Coyoacán, Mexico City

    Teodoro González de León designed this contemporary art museum with a minimalist, sloping glass façade that contrasts with the 1970s University Cultural Center around it. It opened in 2008.

    Built
    2008
    Architect
    Teodoro González de León
    Style
    Minimalist
    Today
    Contemporary art museum

4 traditions to check off

Stamped! keeps these as a checklist, so you can tick each one off on the visit.

  • Day of the Dead Megaofrenda

    Each year around Day of the Dead, UNAM schools and offices build a giant collective offering of altars, long held at Las Islas, the central lawn of Ciudad Universitaria. Visitors can walk among the altars for free in early November.

  • Central Library Mosaic

    Juan O'Gorman's stone mosaic covers all four sides of the Central Library, each side showing a different era of Mexican history. Walk around the building to see every side and take a photo of this campus icon.

  • Rectory Tower Murals

    The Rectory Tower carries three murals by David Alfaro Siqueiros and, at the top, the university coat of arms with the motto 'Por mi raza hablará el espíritu'. Visitors can view the murals and the shield from the esplanade.

  • Diego Rivera Relief at the Olympic Stadium

    The main entrance of the Estadio Olímpico Universitario features a relief by Diego Rivera made of naturally coloured stones, and the stadium still has its 1968 Olympic cauldron. Visitors can see the relief from outside the stadium.

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