Colegio Nacional

History

The college was founded on 8 April 1943. with the purpose of promoting Mexican culture and scholarship in a number of different fields. Its motto is "Libertad por saber" (Freedom through knowing) and its emblem is an eagle taking off (symbolizing freedom of thought) above a flaming sun (representing wisdom). The college's foundation decree, signed by General Manuel Ávila Camacho, limited membership to twenty Mexican-born citizens, who were supposed to deliver their lectures and or seminars in its official premises at Mexico City. A subsequent amendment signed by President Luis Echeverría in 1971 increased the limit to forty and members were given the choice of delivering both their lectures or seminars in places other than the capital. Those aged 70 and over were released, at their discretion, from that obligation. Naturalized Mexicans can also been appointed, provided that at least ten years had passed since they acquired citizenship.

In 1995, President Ernesto Zedillo amended the rules so that naturalized Mexicans could be admitted to the college irrespective of the date on which they acquired citizenship.

Building

The property on which the Colegio sits used to belong to the Convent of La Enseñanza. When the convent was closed in 1863, due to the Reform Laws, this site first became the Palace of Justice. Later, the property was split to house the General Notary Archives and the Colegio. The building took on its present appearance in 1871. During the presidency of Lázaro Cárdenas, the building was used by the Unified Socialist Youth Movement.

The main access to the building is from Luis Gonzalez Obregon Street, between Rep. de Argentina and Rep. de Brazil Streets. This used to be the back entrance to the convent. The facade of the building has three levels and is covered in tezontle, a blood-red, porous, volcanic stone. The doors, windows and balconies are framed in chiluca, a greyish-white stone. The windows and balconies have ironwork railings and window guards. The main entrance leads to an entrance hall, which leads to a central patio. The ground floor of the patio is marked with pilasters while the upper level has columns. The main room in the building is the assembly hall, where debates take place, new members are initiated and congresses in the college's various specialities are conducted.

The building houses a collection of nine gilded altarpieces that date from the end of the 17th century, with the largest of these dedicated to the Our Lady of the Pillar. Among the paintings on display are "The Assumption of Mary" and "The Virgin of the Book of Revelation Apocalypse", both done by Andres Lopez in 1779.

Members

The first date is the admission date to The National College; the second is the date of death or resignation/expulsion.

Founders

Alfonso Reyes, writer and diplomat

Diego Rivera, painter and muralist

José Vasconcelos, writer and philosopher

José Clemente Orozco, painter and muralist

Enrique González Martínez, poet and diplomat

Ezequiel A. Chávez, jurist

Antonio Caso, philosopher

Ignacio Chávez, cardiologist

Isaac Ochoterena

Manuel Uribe y Troncoso, ophthalmologist

Carlos Chávez, composer

Mariano Azuela, novelist of the Mexican Revolution

Manuel Sandoval Vallarta, MIT cosmic ray physicist, former mentor of Richard Feynman and Julius Stratton.

Alfonso Caso, archaeologist

Ezequiel Ordóñez, geologist

Members admitted in the 20th century

Ignacio González Guzmán (22 November 1943; † 2 December 1946) Haemotology and cytology

Manuel Toussaint (21 January 1946; † 2 December 1946) Art history and criticism

Silvio Zavala (6 January 1947; † December 4, 2014) History

Arturo Rosenblueth (6 October 1947; † 20 September 1970) Physiology

Antonio Castro Leal (9 August 1948; † 7 January 1981) Humanities

Jesús Silva Herzog (16 November 1948; † 13 March 1985) Economics

Gerardo Murillo "Dr. Atl" (6 November 1950; resigned 7 May 1951) Painting

Daniel Cosío Villegas (2 April 1951; † 10 March 1976) History

Samuel Ramos (8 July 1952; † 20 June 1959) Philosophy

Agustín Yáñez (8 July 1952; † 17 January 1980) Literature

Guillermo Haro (6 July 1953; † 27 April 1988) Astronomy

Jaime Torres Bodet (6 July 1953; † 15 May 1974) Poetry and literary criticism

Manuel Martínez Báez (7 March 1955; † 19 January 1987) Preventive medicine

Eduardo García Máynez (4 November 1957; † 2 September 1993) Philosophy of law

José Adem (4 April 1960; † 14 February 1991) Mathematics

Members admitted in the 21st century

Mario J. Molina (24 April 2003; † 7 October 2020), co-recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for elucidating the threat to the Earth's ozone layer by chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs).

Enrique Krauze (27 April 2005), historian and cultural promoter, member of the board of Instituto Cervantes and the Mexican Academy of History.

Eusebio Juaristi (13 February 2006), researcher on Physical chemistry, winner of the 1998 National Prize of Arts and Sciences.

María Elena Medina-Mora Icaza (6 April 2006), researcher at the National Institute of Psychiatry, winner of the 1986 Gerardo Varela National Prize of Public Health.

Diego Valadés Ríos (13 February 2007), former Attorney General and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Luis Fernando Lara (5 March 2007), linguist, member of UNESCO's Permanent International Committee of Linguists.

Linda Rosa Manzanilla (9 April 2007), archaeologist specialized in domestic archaeology in early urban developments, first Mexican woman ever admitted to the United States National Academy of Sciences.

Ranulfo Romo (9 March 2011), neuroscientist and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

Jaime Urrutia Fucugauchi (4 February 2014), geophysicist, president of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, and researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

José Ramón Cossío Díaz (11 February 2014), lawyer and jurist, member of the Supreme Court of the Nation.

Current members

This list includes the 37 members as of 2026.