University sights in Mexico City
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Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana
Considered the greatest Spanish-language poet of the 17th century, Sister Juana Inés de la Cruz composed many of her sonnets in the former convent of San Jerónimo, today the University of the Cloister of Sor Juana. Its magnificent two-level cloister, dating from 1585, now buzzes with students of gastronomy, literature and philosophy. To the east is the painstakingly restored Iglesia de San Jerónimo containing Sor Juana’s tomb and a 1750 portrait of the poet. The series of tiled niches on its south wall is what remains of the confessionals. The adjacent Museo de la Indumentaria Mexicana displays regional outfits from around Mexico. The university also hosts a dynamic …
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B
Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso
Built in the 16th century as a Jesuit college, this later became a prestigious teacher-training institute. In the 1920s, Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros and others were brought in to do murals. Most of the work on the main patio is by Orozco; look for his portrait of Cortés and La Malinche underneath the staircase. The amphitheater, off the lobby, holds Rivera’s first mural, La Creación, undertaken upon his return from Europe in 1923. Mural tours (in Spanish) are given at noon and 4pm. Nowadays, the San Ildefonso hosts outstanding temporary exhibitions and houses the Salón Cinematográfico Fósforo of the national university.
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C
University City
The University City, 2km south of San Ángel, is the main campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). With over 280,000 students and 31,000 teachers, it is Latin America’s largest university. Five former Mexican presidents are among its alumni, as is Carlos Slim Helú, ranked the world’s richest man in 2011.
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