In the 1970s, public higher education institutions in the Mexico City metropolitan area recognized that they lacked the capacity to accommodate the growing number of students seeking a university education.
In 1973, to address and mitigate the demand for higher education, the creation of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana was proposed to resolve the rapid growth of educational demand in the metropolitan area, officially beginning operations in 1974.
According to its Organic Law, the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana was established as a decentralized and autonomous institution, authorized to conduct teaching, research, and cultural dissemination activities in accordance with the principles of academic freedom and research freedom.
Our Cuajimalpa Unit was established in 2005.
The institutional emblem of the UAM represents a modern, flexible, and solid institution built upon its own traditions—open to time, yet deeply rooted in its foundations, without which it could not exist. It was designed by the university's first General President, architect Pedro Ramírez Vázquez.
The motto "House open to time" is based on the Nahuatl phrase In Calli Ixcahuicopa. It is composed of the elements in calli, which means "house", and the compound ixcahuicopa, formed by ix(tli) "face", cáhui(tl) "time", and copa "towards", expressing "towards time with a face".
The central element cáhui(tl) implies "change and what it leaves behind". In summary, In Calli Ixcahuicopa translates to "house oriented towards time with a face". Formulated as a motto, it reflects the University's purpose as a "House open to time"—a bearer of meaning, possibility for knowledge, and dialogue. The concept was proposed by historian Miguel Léon-Portilla.
A journey through 17 years of history at UAM Cuajimalpa:
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