Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo

Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH) is a public university in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico, and the oldest institution of higher education in the Americas. The University grants philosophy, law, economics, computer science, medicine, architecture, and dentistry degrees, plus several other additional fields of study, mainly in Humanities, Science, Engineering and Arts.

History

The institution's historical background dates back to 1540, the year in which Catholic Bishop Don Vasco de Quiroga founded the College of San Nicolás Obispo in the city of Pátzcuaro, with the purpose of training priests to help him in the evangelization of the natives of the vast territory under the jurisdiction.

During his episcopal administration, Vasco de Quiroga showed special concern for consolidating the incipient educational institution. Thanks to his negotiations, on May 1, 1543, Carlos V issued a royal certificate in which he agreed to assume the patronage of the college, for which, as of that date, it was called the Royal College of San Nicolás Obispo.

In 1566, by means of a "royal execution" it was arranged that, in the name of the Spanish monarch, the ecclesiastical council exercised the administration of the Quiroguiano campus. Faced with the demands of the post-Tridentine Church, to impart a new orientation to the formation of priests, in 1574 the chapter decided to transfer academic responsibility to the meritorious Society of Jesus.

Philosophical Research

The Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo has a long tradition in the teaching and research of philosophy. Throughout its history, the university has hosted several influential philosophers, including Samuel Ramos, María Zambrano, and Luis Villoro.

The university's Faculty of Philosophy "Dr. Samuel Ramos Magaña" is devoted to advanced academic training in philosophical studies, with particular strength in philosophical research aimed at strengthening, innovating, and expanding philosophical culture, reinforcing cultural identity, and fostering dialogue within contexts of cultural plurality.

The university also houses the Instituto de Investigaciones Filosóficas, whose primary objective is to advance philosophical research, particularly in the field of analytic philosophy. The institute is regarded as one of the leading centers for analytic philosophical research in Mexico.

Change of venue

In 1580, due to the change of the episcopal residence from Pátzcuaro to Valladolid, the Royal College of San Nicolás Obispo was also moved, where it merged with the College of San Miguel Guayangareo. The new cathedral headquarters represented a great advance for the strengthening of the bishopric of Michoacán. However, the training of priests continued without responding to the demands of the Council of Tridentine, widely reaffirmed during the Third Mexican Provincial Council of 1585.

To solve this deficiency, from 1590, the fourth bishop of Michoacán, Fray Alonso Guerra, insisted on converting the college into a Tridentine Seminary. Within the ecclesiastical council, this initiative found strong opposition, considering that, if the proposal was accepted, the founding objectives of the campus would be contravened. Upon the death of Bishop Guerra, it fell to his successor, Fray Domingo de Ulloa, to receive – on October 17, 1601 – from Clement VIII a bull in which, taking advantage of the infrastructure of San Nicolás, he ordered the establishment of a Council Seminary.

Coat of arms

The university coat of arms is made up of elements from the coat of arms of the Quiroga family, which Don Vasco bequeathed to the college he founded, which mean: "Given in harmony, under the shadow of religion, fraternally united towards the light of knowledge and teaching, in peace and in victory, under the universality of science and humanities".

In 1917, when the Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo was founded, the new institution adopted the shield of the College, with which it sealed the official papers until 1919. From then on, the previous inscription was replaced by that of Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia. This delay is easy to explain, since from that year the institution begins its academic activities regularly.

When Dr. Ignacio Chávez was rector, in 1921, a substantial transformation occurred in the coat of arms, by which the edges of the plaque were perfected, which remained divided into four quarters. In the first, the six dice appear arranged in two suits. In the first pair one and four points can be seen; in the second, two and five; in the third, three and six. In the second quarter is the flowered cross. In the third the five clubs appear, and in the lower left a mount added to a cypress in a straight position, ending in the lower part with a "spear point". Above and in front, the wide-brimmed episcopal hat and the episcopal pretensions embracing the plaque are preserved, which balance the graphic elements. The double circle takes a breath and opens to become a ribbon, supported by two lighted torches bearing the inscription UNIVERSIDAD MICHOACANA DE SAN NICOLAS DE HIDALGO. Two crossed branches finish off the bottom: one of laurel; the other, olive. It is necessary to consider that they are not clubs if these figures represent a harmonica, and it reads as follows: Dice, harmonica, a tree with a shadow and the cross, now if the symbols coincide, given to harmony under the shadow of the religion. The description of the symbol made by Rodolfo Jiménez Avalos, approximately in 1970 on a visit to the City of Quiroga.

In this regard, Chávez informs that he chose that shield for the nascent university based on the quartered family crest of its illustrious founder: Don Vasco de Quiroga. He only added the border that crowns it, where the name of the university is read, supported by two lit torches, related to science and humanistic culture. It is necessary to point out that, although Dr. Chávez makes this brief description of the shield, he says nothing about the colors, which, as has been mentioned, were red, green, white and gold.

Эх сурвалж: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)