Science and technology in Mexico

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This article covers science and technology in Mexico. The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, established in 1551, was a hub of intellectual and religious development in Mexico for over a century. During the Mexican Enlightenment, Mexico made rapid progress in science, but after the Mexican War of Independence, there was no scientific progress in Mexico. During the end of the nineteenth century, the process of industrialization began in Mexico, and it made significant progress in science and technology in the twentieth century. During the twentieth century, new universities and research institutes, such as the National Autonomous University of Mexico, were established in Mexico.

Contents 1 Early history of science in Mexico 2 Science during the Mexican Enlightenment 3 Science after the Mexican War of Independence 4 Science and technology in the twentieth century 5 Notes 6 References

[edit] Early history of science in Mexico

After the Viceroyalty of New Spain was founded, the Spanish brought the scientific culture that dominated Spain to the Viceroyalty of New Spain.^[1] The municipal government (cabildo) of Mexico City formally requested the Spanish crown to establish a university in 1539.^[2] The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico (Real y Pontificia Universidad de México) was established in 1551. The university was administered by the clergy and it was the official university of the empire. It provided quality education for the people, and it was a hub of intellectual and religious development in the region. It taught subjects such as physics and mathematics from the perspective of Aristotelian philosophy. Augustinian philosopher Alonso Gutiérrez wrote Physica speculatio, America's first scientific text, in 1557. By the late eighteenth century, the university had trained 1,162 doctors, 29,882 bachelors, and many lawyers.^[1]

[edit] Science during the Mexican Enlightenment

During the Mexican Enlightenment, science can be divided into the four period: the early period (from 1735 to 1767), the creole period (from 1768 to 1788), the official or Spanish period (from 1789 to 1803), and the period of synthesis (from 1804 to the beginning of the Mexico's independence movement in 1810).^[3]

During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, modern science developed in Europe, but it lagged behind in Mexico. The new ideas developed in science in Europe were not important in Mexico.^[4] The 1767 expulsion of Jesuits, who had introduced the new ideas in Mexico, helped to antagonize the creoles, and also promoted nation feelings among Mexicons.^[5][3] After the expulsion, self-taught creoles were the first scientists in Mexico. Later on, they were joined by the Spanish scientists, and they did research, teaching, publishing, and translating texts. The ideas of Francis Bacon and René Descartes were freely discussed at seminars, which caused scholasticism to lose strength. During the Mexican Enlightenment, Mexico made progress in science. Progress were made in subjects such as astronomy, engineering, etc. In 1792 the Seminary of Mining was established. Later it became College of Mining, in which the first modern physics laboratory in Mexico was established.^[3]

Famous scientists of the Enlightenment included José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez and Andrés Manuel del Río.^[3] Río discovered the chemical element vanadium in 1801.^[6]

[edit] Science after the Mexican War of Independence

The Mexican War of Independence brought an end to Mexico's scientific progress. The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico closed in 1833. For many years, there were no scientific activities in Mexico.^[3] The Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico was definitively shut down in 1865.^[7]

During the end of the nineteenth century, the process of industrialization began in Mexico. Under the influence of positivists and scientific thinkers, the government assisted in public education. In 1867 Gabino Barreda, a student of Auguste Comte, was charged with the commission aimed at reforming education. Subjects such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics were included into the secondary school curriculum. National Preparatory School was established. The influence of positivists led to a renaissance of scientific activity in Mexico.^[8]

[edit] Science and technology in the twentieth century

During the twentieth century, Mexico made significant progress in science and technology. New universities and research institutes were established. The National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) was officially established in 1910,^[9] and the university become one of the most important institutes of higher learning in Mexico.^[7] UNAM provides world class education in science, medicine, and engineering.^[10] Many scientific institutes and new institutes of higher learning, such as National Polytechnic Institute (founded in 1936),^[11] were established during the first half of the twentieth century. Most of the new research institutes were created within UNAM. Twelve institutes were integrated into UNAM from 1929 to 1973.^[12]

In 1959, the Mexican Academy of Sciences (Academia Mexicana de Ciencias) was established as a non-governmental, non-profit organization of distinguished scientists. The Academy has grown in membership and influence, and it represents a strong voice of scientists from different fields, mainly in science policy.^[13]

By 1960, science was institutionalized in Mexico. It was viewed as a legitimate endeavor by the Mexican society.^[12]

In 1960, the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute was established as a center for graduate studies in subjects such as biology, mathematics, and physics. In 1961, the institute began its graduate programs in physics and mathematics and schools of science were established in Mexican states of Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Monterrey, Veracruz, and Michoacan. The Academy for Scientific Research was established in 1969 and the National Council of Science and Technology was established in 1971.^[12]

In 1995 Mexican chemist Mario J. Molina shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Paul J. Crutzen, and F. Sherwood Rowland for their work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone.^[14] Molina, an alumnus of UNAM, became the first Mexican citizen to win the Nobel Prize in science.^[15]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Fortes, Jacqueline; Adler Lomnitz Larissa Adler Lomnitz (1990). Becoming A Scientist In Mexico. Penn State University Press. ISBN 0271026324. 
• Levy, Daniel C. (1986). Higher Education and the State in Latin America: Private Challenges to Public Dominance. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0226476081. 
• Summerfield, Carol J.; Mary Elizabeth Devine, and Anthony Levi (1998). International Dictionary of University Histories. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 1884964230. 
• Forest, James J. F.; Philip G. Altbach (2006). International Handbook of Higher Education. Springer. ISBN 1402040113. 
• Coerver, Don M.; Suzanne B. Pasztor, and Robert Buffington (2004). Mexico: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary Culture and History. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 1576071324. 

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