National University of San Marcos

The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (acronym: UNMSM) is a public university located in the city of Lima, Peru. It is considered the most important, recognized and representative educational institution at the national level. At the continental level, being the first officially founded by Real Provisión, authorized by Real Cédula and the longest in continuous operation since its foundation, it is recognized as the oldest university in America, which is why it appears in official documents and publications as “Universidad del Perú, Dean of America”. It had its beginnings in the general studies that were offered in the cloisters of the convent of the Rosary of the order of Santo Domingo —current Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo— around 1548. Its official foundation was gestated by fray Tomás de San Martín and it took place on May 12, 1551 with the decree of Emperor Carlos I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire, in 1571 he acquired the pontifical degree granted by Pope Pius V with which he ended up being named "Royal and Pontifical University of the City of Kings". of Lima". Being recognized by the Spanish Crown as the first university in America officially founded by Royal Decree, it is also referred to as "Universidad de Lima" throughout the Viceroyalty. Throughout its history, the university had under tutelage a total of four colleges: the Colegio Real y Mayor de San Martín and the Colegio Real y Mayor de San Felipe y San Marcos, the Real Colegio de San Carlos —focused on law and letters, derived from the merger of the two previous ones— and the Royal College of San Fernando —focused on medicine and surgery—. In the times of emancipation, it acquired a main role in the formation of several of the leaders managing the independence of Peru. After the proclamation of independence and during the republic, it maintained both colloquially and formally —in various treaties and documents historical—its name as "Universidad de Lima" until 1946, the year in which its current name and name as National and Major University became official.

The University of San Marcos is considered the most important and representative Peruvian higher education institution due to its "tradition, prestige, quality and selectivity", being also recognized as the institution with the greatest scientific production in Peru. It has been ranked 1.er place nationwide in certain editions of various classifications of universities, such as in the first University Ranking of Peru prepared by the National Assembly of Rectors of Peru under the auspices of UNESCO in 2006, in the University Rankings by Academic Performance of the URAP Center , in various editions of the QS World Ranking of Universities by Quacquarelli Simonds, in the Web Rankings of Universities produced by CSIC and known as Webometrics, in the University Web Rankings by 4ICU, and in the SIR World R eports by SCImago Research Center; together with UPCH and PUCP, it is one of the only three Peruvian universities that have appeared in such a position, as well as the only public one to do so. In addition, it has a ten-year institutional license granted by the National Superintendency of Higher University Education (SUNEDU) and an international institutional accreditation that certifies its academic and administrative quality. Regarding research, according to information from the Scopus database, The University of San Marcos is to date the 1.era Peruvian institution in the production of scientific articles, both annually and in the accumulated history. Various influential Peruvians and Latin Americans have left their classrooms, all recognizing and valuing the high level of teaching and the active and important intellectual participation that the university and its students had through the history of Peru. The University of San Marcos has been referred to many times as a reflection of Peru for manifesting the advances and limitations that the country eventually has, in addition to the value Praised diversity, preparation and activism of its students. Twenty-one Presidents of the Republic of Peru, six Peruvian candidates for the Nobel Prizes in Physics, Literature and Peace —of the total of seven Peruvians nominated between 1901 and 1971, the only period publicized currently by the Norwegian Committee—and a Nobel Prize winner —Mario Vargas Llosa, so far the only Peruvian with said recognition— have been graduates, researchers and/or professors of this house of studies.

In its 470 years of operation, the University of San Marcos has passed through several locations, of which it maintains and highlights: the "Casona de San Marcos", a historic location of the university with more than 400 years of history —part of the area and the list of buildings in the Historic Center of Lima that were recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 1988— and which is currently the site of the main cultural activities and the granting of high degrees by part of the university; the current premises of the "San Fernando" School of Medicine, inaugurated in 1901 for the first medical school in the country; and the so-called "University City", which since 1960 has been its main headquarters, where most of the faculties, the central library, the university stadium and the rectory are located, and most of the academic and research activities are carried out. All these stores are located in the Cercado de Lima. The University of San Marcos currently has 66 professional schools, grouped into 20 faculties, and these in turn in 5 academic areas, being the Peruvian university that covers the largest number of university subjects. All faculties offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. It also has various centers, institutions and dependencies, such as its cultural centers, museums, libraries, clinics and university offices, editorial funds, among others. In addition, through its historical archive "Domingo Angulo", the university preserves documents and writings of great historical relevance dating from the XVI< centuries. /span>, XVII, XVIII and XIX. In 2019, the "Fondo Colonial y Documentos Fundacionales de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos: 1551-1852" was incorporated into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, in recognition of its significance for global collective memory.

History

Historical overview

Oil on the foundation of the University of San Marcos, officially the first university of Peru and America, and its manager Fray Tomás de San Martín.

The origin of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos is also the origin of higher education in Peru and America. It goes back to the General Studies carried out in the cloisters of the Convent of the Rosary of the Order of Santo Domingo—current Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo—, near the Plaza de Armas in Lima around 1548. Their main objective was to train and educate the clergy. in the new territories incorporated into the Spanish Empire. Subsequently, the Lima council would send Fray Tomás de San Martín and Captain Juan Jerónimo de Aliaga to Spain, who —largely thanks to the efforts of the former— obtained the order to found the university by Emperor Carlos I of Spain. and V of the Holy Roman Germanic Empire and Queen Juana I of Castile, daughter of the Catholic kings, through the Royal Provision issued on May 12, 1551 in Valladolid; Thus, the foundation of the Royal University of the City of Kings, also referred to as the Royal University of Lima, was officially carried out., which officially authorizes the operation of the «Universidad de Lima», indicates as its mission: «to indoctrinate the residents of these lands in the Christian faith and submission to the King». With this principle, the university began to function officially on January 2, 1553, in the Chapter House of the Convent of Nuestra Señora del Rosario of the Order of Santo Domingo under the direction of its first rector, Fray Juan Bautista de la Roca; the initial lecture was given by Andrés Cianca and Corona Cosme Carrillo, under the supervision of the rector.

The capitular room in the Convent of the Rosary of the Dominicans, where the University of San Marcos began to function.

The orientation, in principle strictly monastic, as well as the exclusivism and conservation of the Dominicans, and the continuous decrease of members of other congregations gave rise to the Dominicans losing predominance and also generated a reaction on the part of the lay professors; the claim for greater openness led them to request the Royal Court to comply with the Royal Decree of 1570, which provided for a free election of the rector by the teachers of the cloister. The claim fell on the viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo who favored and ended the claim with the election of Pedro Fernández de Valenzuela on May 11, 1571, the first lay rector, and the significant change in the orientation of the university. The official status of the university is reaffirmed by the papal bull Exponi Nobis of San Pío V of July 25, 1571, after receiving the Pase Regio from the Council of the Indies; In it, it avoided the ecclesiastical courts by declaring that it "absolves friars, readers, teachers, students and any of you from all and any ecclesiastical censures, sentences and penalties, for any reason and cause contracted", likewise the university acquires with this bull its pontifical degree, which is why it is renamed Royal and Pontifical University of the City of the Kings of Lima. After this first reform, the university moved to its second location, near the outskirts of San Marcelo, where the Convent of the Order of San Agustín had previously operated. of the four evangelists—the official name of the university, finally resulting in the official name of the Royal and Pontifical University of San Marcos and therefore the evangelist San Marcos as patron of the institution. In 1575, the university changed its establishment again and It is located in the old Plaza del Estanque, later called Plaza de la Inquisición, where the building of the Congress of Peru is currently located, where it would continue to operate throughout the time of the Viceroyalty of Peru.

Recorded of the old facade of the premises where the University of San Marcos worked throughout the virreinate, later this venue would be transferred to the Congress of Peru.

The officially named University of San Marcos, then also known as "Universidad de Lima", began its work in the viceregal era with the faculties of Theology and Arts, later the canons of Law and Medicine would be created, however in the academic field, the norms that governed in Spain were adopted, that is, it begins its functions with the teaching of Philosophy as the basis for any other higher study. On July 7, 1579, the "Chair of the General Language of the Indians" was established for the study of the most widespread family of Andean languages among the natives during the Inca Empire and the Viceroyalty of Peru: Quechua; its first professor was Juan de Balboa. On November 27, 1579, the professors asked King Felipe II for the institution of jurisdiction that governed the University of Salamanca, a medieval legal figure — antecedent of the current university autonomy — that empowered the rector to that, excluding the ordinary courts, had civil and criminal jurisdiction over the members of the cloister. In 1581, and after the absolute presence of lay rectors between 1571 and 1581, Viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo authorized clergy and laymen to be elected; Thus, both sectors alternately governed the University of San Marcos, during the colonial period, until 1820.

Welcome wall of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, it mentions the date of its official foundation by royal cédula: May 12, 1551.

The support for the secularization of the University of San Marcos given by Viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo and for the institution of jurisdiction exercised by its rector, and also exercised by the rector of the Real Convictorio de San Carlos, founded on July 7 from 1770, were the decisive factors that led the university community, students and professors, towards the realization of the Bolognese ideal that conceived the university as a space of freedom. In this way, the intellectual climate began to be born that made it possible to question and criticize the colonial system. Between 1792 and 1811, the anatomical amphitheater and the medicine chairs began to be developed in the historic premises of the Royal Hospital of San Andrés. At that time, both the University of San Marcos and the San Carlos College of Law and Letters and the San Fernando College of Medicine —later incorporated into it— began to be carefully monitored by the Viceroy, due to the fact that they housed professors and students suspected of envisioning and managing the end of the colonial regime and the emergence of what is today the Peruvian Republic. Presumably it was the privileges enjoyed by both the university and the convictorio, which allowed the entry of Enlightenment thought in its cloisters, thus the theoretical and ideological doctrinal approaches of emancipation arise within it. In 1813, during the administration of Viceroy José Fernando de Abascal, the "San Fernando" Faculty of Medicine was established in homage to King Fernando VII of Spain, in the Plaza de Santa Ana -today Plaza Italia- in the premises occupied by the Ministry of Government, the faculty was formed on the basis of the College of Medicine of the same name that was located in the Plaza del Estanque. Throughout its history, the university had a total of four colleges under its guardianship: the Colegio Real and Colegio Mayor de San Martín and the Colegio Real y Mayor de San Felipe y San Marcos, the Real Colegio de San Carlos —focused on law and letters, derived from the merger of the two previous ones— and the Real Colegio de San Fernando —focused on medicine and surgery-.

The First Constituent Congress of Peru was chaired by Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza and held in the chapel of the University of San Marcos on 20 September 1822.

In the times of emancipation, the university acquired a main role in the training of several of the main leaders who managed the independence of Peru. From the legal point of view in relation to property, the University of San Marcos, which belonged to the monarchical State, it became part of the young Republic of Peru since its independence in 1821. The First Constituent Congress of Peru, which defined the new Peruvian Republic as a reality and as a project, was initially chaired by the former rector of the University from San Marcos, Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza; Of the 64 constituent deputies, 54 were from San Marcos and Carolinos; and the place where this great assembly met was the Chapel of the University of San Marcos. Today, the Congress of the Republic of Peru continues to function in that same place. In 1822 the university handed over its collection of 50,000 books to form the newly founded National Library of Peru. In 1840, the Colleges of San Carlos and San Fernando are taken over by the University of San Marcos. During the government of Ramón Castilla, San Marcos was officially empowered by the president to approve new universities and control newly created ones. Throughout the century XIX, the premises of the University of San Marcos gradually left aside its academic functions, its use becoming more regular as a space for meetings of the Chamber of Deputies and the Congress of the Republic. The absence of care and the partial abandonment of their university functions led to a gradual deterioration of their environments. It is in this context of the late XIX century that the university totally donates its premises to the then still young Congress of the Republic of Peru.

Local University of San Marcos at the beginning of the century XX., the so-called Casona de San Marcos is currently the Cultural Center of San Marcos.

The exponential growth of the city during the industrial revolution of the XIX century, in addition to the efforts of the then president of Peru Manuel Pardo for improving the architecture and urban planning of the city during 1870, forced the university to move to a new campus adjacent to the old Jesuit monastery where the Real Convictorio de San Carlos resided —currently this is called the "Casona del Parque Universitario" or simply the "Casona de San Marcos" -. In those years, San Marcos was already considered the tutelary nucleus of scientific and cultural institutions during the Viceroyalty and the nascent Republic; Added to this was the fact that its professors, graduates, and even students were part of missions that created various Spanish-American universities. In 1878, during the government of Manuel Pardo, the General Regulation of Public Instruction was issued, establishing the concept of major and minor universities, corresponding to San Marcos the first title and the universities of Arequipa and Cusco, the second. During the War of the Pacific and specifically during the occupation of Lima by Chilean troops, objects and art and cultural goods were taken from the university, in order to be taken to Chile, by sea. At the end of the century XIX, the “San Fernando” Faculty of Medicine, which was located in premises in the old Plaza de Santa Ana —today Plaza Italia—, is moved to its current location, that of the historic premises of Avenida Grau, in the Historic Center of Lima. Once the war ended, by law of 1901 it is stated that Peruvian university education corresponds to the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and the minors of Trujillo, Cusco and Arequipa, which were later joined by the Catholic University of Lima (now PUCP) and the technical schools.

During the century XX.the students of the University of San Marcos had an active participation in the intellectual, political and social development of Peru. In the photo: President Augusto Leguía after a speech at the university.

At the beginning of the 20th century, university activists promoted a reform within the University of San Marcos; this effort transcended the limits of the university and became a reflection of a great social movement in Peru. The university reform planned access to education for the middle and popular classes, which until then had a minority presence in San Marcos. These ideals launched a long tradition of student activism at the university and altered the Peruvian political landscape. In 1909 the students of the University of San Marcos had an active participation in protests against the dictatorial Peruvian governments. In 1916 the Federation of Students of Peru (FEP) was established, led mainly by students from San Marcos. The FEP's demands included university reforms such as updating curricula, removing untrained faculty, and eliminating Peruvian government interference in the university. During the government of President Augusto Leguía, the university education system was reorganized and university autonomy was granted. In 1928, Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States, visited Peru. In his speech during the banquet offered by Peruvian President Augusto B. Leguía, the US president highlighted Lima as a "center of civilization" and radiant culture and the University of San Marcos as the "dean of knowledge."

Los Angeles Times

San Francisco Chronicle

In the context of the Cold War, important U.S. daily newspapers showed as main news on their front pages of May 9, 1958 the protests of San Marino students in the face of the questioned visit of Richard Nixon to the oldest university in America, in Lima, Peru. Years later, Nixon would become the only American president to resign because of the Watergate scandal.

From viceroyalty times, going through independence and the republic until 1946, the university was referred to both colloquially and formally —in various treaties and historical documents— as "Universidad de Lima"; that year its name as University was made official Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, a name that remains to this day. Between the years of 1950 and 1960, the influx of more middle-class students at the University of San Marcos led the government to emphasize and create scientific and university research areas. In 1951, as a commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the University of San Marcos, the university acquired a new piece of land to build the new Ciudad Universitaria, where the Stadium of the University of San Marcos was inaugurated that same year. On the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary, a ceremony was also held that brought together the rectors of the main Ibero-American universities, who decided to give it the title and recognition of "Dean of America". Due to this —and also given its primacy in the country— the university has kept the names of Universidad del Perú and Dean of America ever since. In 1958, a significant Incident during the visit of then-Vice President Richard Nixon, who would later be the 37th President of the United States and also the first President to resign after the Watergate scandal. Nixon had scheduled a conference at the University of San Marcos as part of his visit to Latin America, however this did not take place due to the protest of San Marcos, who demonstrated against the United States policy in the region with phrases such as: Nixon, Go Home!. Given the incident, the conference was moved to the Catholic University of Lima, where Nixon received a particularly cold reception.

Mural dedicated to the foundation and history of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, located at the headquarters of the Rectorate "Jorge Basadre". Made by the Peruvian muralist Domingo Huamán Peñaloza.

In the mid-1960s, due to the need for even larger space, several university faculties began to relocate to the Ciudad Universitaria land, where 17 of the university's 20 faculties are currently located. This new campus is located in an area that housed archaeological complexes of the Maranga Culture, these were restored and protected —as in the case of Huaca San Marcos—, after being partially destroyed during the construction of Av. Venezuela in the decade of 1940. In 1969, the system of organization by academic departments —today academic schools— was also introduced. On September 22, 1984, the current statute of the university was promulgated. With nearly 40,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty, the university offers undergraduate studies in 65 areas, master's degrees in 77, and doctorates in 27, making it the largest academic offering in the country today. It currently has 20 faculties grouped into 6 main blocks, its academic departments publish several specialized magazines and it operates 3 important museums in Lima as well as research institutes. According to UNESCO criteria and indicators, the University of San Marcos is the only University of Peru that covers various areas of knowledge such as pure sciences, human sciences, historical-social sciences, health sciences, economic-business sciences, and techniques and engineering.

Currently, despite budget limitations in the Peruvian university system, the University of San Marcos is considered the most important and representative Peruvian institution of higher education due to its "tradition, prestige, quality and selectivity of admission", being It is also recognized as the institution with the greatest scientific production in Peru. It has been considered the best in Peru according to university rankings such as that of the National Assembly of Rectors of Peru in 2006, which was sponsored by UNESCO, the University Ranking by Academic Performance of 2010, 2011 and 2012 prepared by the URAP Center, the QS World University Rankings of 2011/2012 and 2012 /2013, the SIR World Reports prepared by the SCImago Research Center, the 2020 Scopus ranking of national scientific production, the University Web Ranking by 4ICU of 2015 and 2016, and the world ranking of universities Webometrics of the Cons Ejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas of 2011-I, 2012-I, and 2021-I, in which it was ranked 1.er place. In addition, it has a 10-year institutional license granted by the National Superintendence of Higher University Education (SUNEDU) and international institutional accreditations that certify its academic and administrative quality.

Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize in Literature 2010. In 2011, its soul mate He distinguished it with the highest decoration: the Medal of Honor Sanmarquina in the grade of Grand Cross.

Different influential Peruvians and Latin Americans have left their classrooms; all of them recognizing and valuing the high level of teaching of the university as the main educational entity in the country, as well as highlighting the active and important intellectual participation that the university and its students had. throughout the history of Peru. The University of San Marcos has been referred to many times as a reflection of Peru for having manifested and been part of the limitations and problems that eventually affected the country, however, the diversity and preparation is recognized of its students. In 2010, the Nobel Prize was awarded to a Peruvian for the first time, being the Samarquin writer Mario Vargas Llosa the creditor of this distinction. Vargas Llosa is one of the most illustrious students that the University has had of San Marcos, in this sense the university awarded him the title of Doctor honoris causa in 2001. As a tribute for obtaining the Nobel Prize, on 3 March 0, 2011 within the framework of the celebrations for his 460th anniversary, the University of San Marcos distinguished Vargas Llosa with his highest decoration: the Sanmarquina Medal of Honor in the degree of Grand Cross; He also created a chair that bears his name and inaugurated a museum about the writer and his years at his alma mater . The ceremony was held in the "Casona de San Marcos" and included the participation of San Marcos intellectuals who have also been colleagues, friends and teachers of Vargas Llosa. In 2018, the Benemérita Sociedad Fundadores de la Independencia recognized the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos as a Benemérita institution by virtue of its participation, value and historical significance in the construction and defense of Peru, also placing the banner of the university in the Hall of Heroes. In 2019, the university awards, for the first time in its modern history, a doctoral degree based on a thesis prepared and defended entirely in Quechua, thus marking a historic milestone for the development of research in Native American languages in the country and region.

Regarding the importance of the University of San Marcos in the history of Peru and America, the Liberator Simón Bolívar said the day he received the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa:

“Lords, as I step on the thresholds of this Sanctuary of Sciences, I felt overcrowded with respect and fear and seeing myself already in the very bosom of the wise men of the famous University of San Marcos I see myself humbled among older men in the tasks of deep and useful meditations, and raised with so much justice to the high rank they occupy in the scientific world. Nude of knowledge and without merit, your kindness frees me with a distinction that is the term and reward of whole years of continuous studies. [...] Gentlemen, I will forever mark this beautiful day of my life. I will never forget that I belong to the wise Academy of St. Mark. I will try to get closer to their worthy members, and as many minutes will belong to me after filling the duties to which I am now engaged, I will use them to make efforts to reach the summit of the sciences in which you find yourselves, at least in imitation. »

Simón Bolívar

On the importance of the University of San Marcos as the oldest American university institution, Albert Einstein expressed upon receiving the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa within the framework of the university's 400th anniversary commemorated in 1951:

"It is a great pleasure for me to give my colleagues at the University of San Marcos thanks for the distinction he has given me. Your action shows that the oldest American high-education institution has preserved the supra-national character of the University. Now more than ever we have reason to appreciate this spirit. The institution of the university is based on the ideal of universality of the domain of research, striving to obtain truths free of foreign purposes, intentions or prejudices; striving to achieve universality of spirit without restrictions on national or political motives of another kind. In short, what interests is to strive for the universality of mind and spirit. It is not a secret that we have gained much more success in mind development than in personality development. It appears that even the search for knowledge is threatened by the lack of truly universal spirits. If universities remain faithful to their fundamental mission they can contribute significantly to the solution of the crises that threaten us today. »

Albert Einstein

On the importance of the University of San Marcos, Mario Vargas Llosa, 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature, said the day he was awarded for his alma mater:

"The San Martín years were fundamental to me from the intellectual point of view, from my literary formation and also from my civic formation. I've never regretted entering the University of San Marcos and spending six years here. [...] St. Mark had been throughout his history an inconform, rebellious institution, where he had dreamed of a different future for our country. From this university, we must not forget it, the great intellectual figures of Peru have come out, figures that both in the scientific domains and in the humanities have represented the flower and cream of our country. [...] San Marcos is an ancient institution, as Arguedas said, antiquity is a value, and since one of the Peruvian values is this university, the oldest in America, always an extraordinary focus of science, intellectual work, research, creation, and also an institution that has fought incessantly for freedom, for a long world that we have, for a world of greater equality, of greater opportunities, of greater tolerance, a world without violence, »

Mario Vargas Llosa

View of the main square of the University City; on the left side is the Rectorate "Jorge Basadre"; on the right side the University Library; at the center the monument of Fray Tomás de San Martín.

View of the Cultural Center of the University of San Marcos; on the left side is the University Park, the German Tower, and monuments of illustrious Sanmarquinos; on the right side the historical Casona de San Marcos and the Pantheon of the Proceres.

View of the "San Fernando" campus of the University of San Marcos; on the left side you can see the pharmacology site; on the right side the main entrance of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando", with a monument to Hipólito Unanue inside.

The first and oldest university in America

Real Claus in which Emperor Charles V authorized the official creation of the first university in America on May 12, 1551: the University of San Marcos, then Real University of Lima.

The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, founded on May 12, 1551, is the oldest university in the Americas, being the university that has been in continuous operation for the longest time since its founding, and the only American university founded during the 16th century to remain in operation without permanent closure from then to the present. Continuous operation is of relevance by observing the cases of several universities founded in the viceregal era that were finally closed during the Spanish-American wars of independence or due to internal conflicts. In merit of its antiquity and continuity, and on the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary of its foundation, in 1951 a ceremony was held that brought together the rectors of the main Ibero-American universities, who decided to give it the title and recognition of "Dean of America". .

Regarding the primacy of a university in America, there are two universities that can receive this distinction:

• The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, which was the first university founded by Real Provisión and authorized by Real Cédula in America, on May 12, 1551. This implies that it was the first official university and solemnly constituted by the Spanish Crown in America, that is, fulfilling all the real and canonical formalities demanded at the time. The General Archive of Indias, which has documents of the Spanish colonial period between the century XVI until the century XVIIIIt does not contain official documents prior to 1551 that recognize a university or higher education institution prior to the University of San Marcos.

• The University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, which has an unofficial priority among the universities of America based on the Bull In Apostolatus Culmine of Paulo III, dated 28 October 1538. However, this did not count on the pass regio of King Charles I of Spain, that is, he did not have the necessary real approval until February 23, 1558. On August 2nd, 1758, King Fernando VI of Spain would issue a real cédula prohibiting the University of Santo Tomás to self-denominate the primate of America, because it did not correspond to him such historical attribute above the universities of San Marcos of Lima, Mexico and others of America. Centuries later, the University of Saint Thomas Aquinas would be closed at the beginning of the century XIX for the internal wars in the Dominican Republic.

Illustration of Universities in the West Indies: The University of San Marcos is described as the first of the Americas to be officially founded by Real Cédula.

It is important to mention that both the University of San Marcos and the University of Santo Tomás de Aquino —and by extension the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico— began to function as general studies and to award titles on undetermined dates before becoming official as universities, which is why it is necessary for historians to establish starting points for the origin of the first universities in America, these being the documents with which the foundation of each university was authorized. The legal and real validity of each document remains in debate, as well as the results of future historical-legal investigations around the emergence of the university and higher education in America.

Symbols of the university

Since its foundation in 1551, the University of San Marcos has had various institutional symbols, among which the following stand out:

• Shield: From its foundation until 1574, the first official shield showed an image of the Virgin of the Rosary, considered the patron of the Dominican friars; to the right, a representation of the Pacific Ocean and below a lime — fruit, in reference to the city of Lima. The shield was approved by King Charles I of Spain in 1551. By the end of 1570, after the Papal Bull of Pius V, the shield was modified, replacing the image of the Virgin of the Rosary with that of the new patron of the university, the Apostle St. The colors that were used in that shield are ignored, since the documents in the century XVI They were only black and white. It was only until 1929 that the colors: blue for the ocean, black or brown for the image of the saint, blue for the background and silver for the columns, spread. The second original shield with the image of San Marcos has been the most lasting symbol of the university: it was used for almost four hundred years. In 1929 the original colors mentioned in the ancient texts were officially introduced: blue for the ocean, black or brown for the image of the saint, blue for the background and silver for the columns, etc. This last update of the shield is the one used today, following a tradition dating from the mid-century XVI. The following is the original description given on the shield by the Constitution of the University of San Marcos of 1578:

Flag of the University of San Marcos, the shield represents the institution, and the white background the variety of academic colors of each faculty.

"First you are stationed and you are instructed that this university has a greater and lesser stamp with which to seal the titles of the graduates in it and the edits and letters, the quales are in the power of the rector who is, in a box under two keys that the rector and the other the secretary have, because you cannot seal anything without both. [...] And let the so-called seals have sculpted the weapons and badges of the university so that they can be printed in what is called a shield placed in a party jar by means of top to bottom and that at the bottom make a cork in the mode of the actual weapons in which the garnish is, in the east a lime on the right side in the middle of the shield will be a San Marcos writing and the »

• Flag: In ancient manuscripts there are references to an official standard of the University of San Marcos, it was indicated that it was composed of the major coat of arms of the university centered on a white background; this description led to the emergence of university banners and banners that followed those patterns during the century XVII, XVIII and XIX. During the century XX. concern arises about officializing the use of a single institutional banner for the university. While the use of a white flag with the coat of arms of the university in the center had already been generalized, its use was only formalized by means of governing resolution on 14 June 2010, indicating that for historical reasons it is decided to place the official emblem: coat of arms of the university, on a white background that contains all the chromatic possibilities of the spectrum of light, by referring to the variety of colors that distinguish individual to each faculty in academic and sports activities.
• Hymn: The university hymn is regularly interpreted in special ceremonies and anniversaries of the University of San Marcos, mainly by the University Choir. The hymn's handwriting was composed by Manuel Tarazona Camacho and the music by Luis Craff Zevallos.

The National University of San Marcos also mentions other symbolic documents for the university. Notable among them are the Cédula Real by which King Carlos I of Spain authorized the founding of the university in 1551, and the Quipu found in the Huaca San Marcos, both remain in custody of the university as documents and materials of high historical value.

Organization

Government

Chronological Series of the 214 Rectors of the University of San Marcos

Rectors from 1551 to 1571

Rectors from 1571 to 1600

Rectors from 1600 to 1700

Rectors from 1700 to 1822

Rectors from 1822 to 1905

Rectors from 1905 to 1966

Rectors from 1966 to 2021

The University of San Marcos was originally governed by clergy from monastic orders; During the Enlightenment period, the Bourbon reforms transformed it into a secular institution, which continues to this day.

Currently, the governing bodies of the university are:

Central headquarters of the Rectorate "Jorge Basadre", there is the main administrative activity of the University of San Marcos.

• University Assembly: It is the highest governing body in the university. It consists of: the rector and the two vice-rectors, the dean of the faculties, the director of the postgraduate school, representatives of the teachers, representatives of the students — which constitute a third of the total number of members of the assembly — representatives of the graduates, and the president of the Federation of Students of the University of San Marcos with the right to voice, without vote. Administrative officials of the highest level may also attend the assembly, when required as advisers, without the right to vote. The main powers of the university assembly are: the modification of the university's statute, requiring in such a case the majority of its skilled members; the adoption of the general plan for the development and operation of the university and the conduct of its annual evaluation; the pronunciation and intervention in the matters of general interest of the university and in the special cases requested by the university council; in the same way, it is responsible for the election of the rector and vice-rectors, as well as the declaration of these positions.
• University Council: It is the organ responsible for the management and execution of the university. It is composed of the rector, who presides over it, the two vice-rectors, the dean of the faculties, the director of the postgraduate school, representatives of the students—one third of the total members of the council—, a representative of the graduates and the president of the Federation of students of the university entitled to voice, without vote. As well as in the university assembly, higher-level administrative officials can attend the council when they are required as advisers, without the right to vote. They are the powers of the Council: to formulate the general plan for the development and functioning of the university, and to establish its policies; to formulate and approve the general regulations of the university, the rules of elections and other special regulations and to present them to the university assembly to ratify them, to confer academic degrees and professional degrees approved by the faculties, to grant honorary distinctions, to recognize and revalite studies and to recognize degrees and degrees of foreign universities when the university is authorized to do so.
• Rector: The rectory is the university governing body, composed mainly of the rector. The rector is the first executive authority of the university, as well as its legal representative and its institutional image. The University of San Marcos has had 216 rectors since its foundation, several characters have assumed the rectory of the university throughout the virreinal and republican era of Peru, so the Rector Magnificus is also a symbol of institutional continuity from foundation to present. On January 4, 2016, the university council appointed Antonia Castro Rodríguez—who until then had been acting as academic vice-rector—as intern at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, to ensure the proper process of transition and adequacy to the new Peruvian university law. On 7 June, it was succeeded as Acting Rector Luisa Negrón Ballarte. Finally, by universal suffrage in July 2016, Orestes Cachay Boza is elected rector for the period 2016-2021.
• Vice-rector: It is made up of two vice-rectors: one undergraduate and one research and postgraduate. The current vice-rectors of the National University of San Marcos are: Elizabeth Canales Aybar as undergraduate academic vice-rector, and Felipe San Martín Howard as vice-rector of research and postgraduate degree.

The government and administration of the faculties and schools are in charge of the Deans and the School Directors, respectively. In addition, the postgraduate units of each faculty their respective directors are in charge, with the Director of the Graduate School being the general director.

Areas, faculties and schools

The University of San Marcos has 20 faculties grouped into 5 academic areas, offering 65 undergraduate programs, 77 master's degrees, and 27 doctorates; Thus, it is the university with the largest number of study programs, both for undergraduate and postgraduate courses, in Peru. Currently, the organization of the university by academic areas is supervised by its Undergraduate Academic Vice-Rector's Office.

Health Sciences

The area of Health Sciences is made up of the following faculties:

Entrance to the campus of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, from which would derive the majority of current health science faculties in Peru.

• Faculty of Medicine «San Fernando» (FMSF): It is the Faculty of Human Medicine of the University of San Marcos, also called the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando", is the first medical faculty of Peru. Its history dates back to the first professors of medicine outlined among the first ones dictated at the University of San Marcos in the century XVI, after the creation of the Royal College of Medicine and Surgery of San Fernando in 1811, and finally to its official installation as faculty on October 6, 1856 by Cayetano Heredia. The faculty also receives colloquially the name of the Faculty of Medicine of Lima. At present it offers studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in its professional schools of: human medicine, obstetrics, nursing, medical technology and nutrition. San Fernando sends abroad and receives students from abroad through the Student Exchanges Section (SIE), approximately 40% of their graduates conduct their graduate studies abroad. It should be noted that in the National Examinations of Medicine in Peru (ENAM), the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" has obtained the first place on numerous occasions.

• Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry (FFB): It is the first institution at the university level to train pharmaceuticals in Peru. Its origins date back to the creation of the Protoboticario in 1808 and to the inclusion of pharmacy teaching in the synoptic table of the school curriculum of the College of Medicine, Pharmacy and Surgery. In 1931 the School of Pharmacy was created. It would be just October 29, 1943 that the law approved the creation of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. The faculty currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in its professional schools of: pharmacy and biochemistry, food sciences and toxicology.

• Faculty of Dentistry (FO): Dentistry is born as a national profession as a section of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of San Marcos in 1868. It would be only in 1920 that these studies were independent of the creation of the Institute of Dentistry. The following year this institute is incorporated into the university and the Faculty of Dentistry is officially created. Currently, the faculty premises are located on the university campus and provides the teaching of studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate; in their professional school of: dentistry. It also has dental clinics at the service of the community.

• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FMV): The teaching of veterinary medicine in Peru begins with the National School of Agronomy. On the other hand, in 1940 the Veterinary Section was created at the Chorrillos Military School which in 1943 would become the Military School of Veterinary Sciences. In 1944 the two schools mentioned were joined together, born the National School of Veterinary Sciences, which in 1946 would be transformed into the current Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, starting in Peru to teach veterinary medicine at university level. In 1956, the faculty moved to its current premises in San Borja. As the pioneering faculty in the teaching of veterinary medicine in Peru, it currently offers studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate degree; in its professional school of: veterinary medicine. It also has a veterinary clinic at the service of the community.

• Faculty of Psychology (FPSI): The first precedent of the study of psychology in Peru is the creation of the Psychology Section in 1955 as part of the Faculty of Letters of the University of San Marcos. Already in 1963 the department of Psychology was created and from then on, and along with the development of experimental psychology at the global level, the creation of the Faculty of Psychology, an initiative promoted by the German psychologist Walter Blumenfeld, is beginning to grow, which is officially created in 1988, being the first in Peru. Currently the faculty offers studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate degree; in its professional school of: psychology, with pre-specialties in clinical, organizational, social-community and educational psychology, and in its professional school of: organizational and human management psychology. It has various experimental psychology laboratories, a ludoteca, a teaching clinic, psychological clinics at the service of the community, among others.

The following table lists the faculties that make up area A, as well as the professional schools that make them up:

Academic area	Faculty	Professional schools	PREGRATED		POSTGRADE		Other
			Br.	Lic.	Ms.	Dr.	Dip.	Esp.
A: HEALTH SCIENCES	01. Faculty of Medicine	01.1. Human Medicine	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		01.2. Obstetrics	✔	✔
		01.3. Nursing	✔	✔
		01.4.1. Medical Technology: Clinical Laboratory and Pathological Anatomy 01.4.2. Medical Technology: Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation 01.4.3. Medical Technology: Radiology 01.4.4. Medical technology: Occupational therapy	✔	✔
		01.5. Nutrition	✔	✔
	04. Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry	04.1. Pharmacy and Biochemistry	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		04.2. Food Sciences	✔	✔
		04.3. Toxicology	✔	✔
	05. Faculty of Dentistry	05.1. Dentistry	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
	08. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine	08.1. Veterinary Medicine	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
	18. Faculty of Psychology	18.1. Psychology	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		18.2. Organizational Psychology and Human Management	✔	✔

Basic Sciences

The area of Basic Sciences is made up of the following faculties:

Main Pavilion of the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, is located within the University City.

• Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (FQIQ): He has his background at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of San Marcos, created on 7 April 1855. On that date the chemistry studies in San Marcos were formally initiated by Italian doctors Antonio Raimondi and José Eboli. In 1935 the specialty of chemistry was created in the university. In 1946, then President José Luis Bustamante and Rivero promulgated Law 10555, which created the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of San Marcos. On April 24, 1964, the study of chemical engineering was introduced with which the faculty acquires the current denomination of Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. It provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools of: chemistry, chemical engineering, and agro-industrial engineering.

• Faculty of Biological Sciences (FCB): He has his background in the creation of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, on August 28, 1861, which included the Chair of Natural History. On March 15, 1866, he became independent as a Faculty of Sciences; he then included the area of natural history, the subjects of mineralogy, geology, botany and zoology. The first dean was Antonio Raimondi, an Italian scholar of the natural sciences of Peru. From the beginning of the century XX. is responsible for the Museum of Natural History of Lima and other research institutes. In the middle of the century XX. There was a reform of the programme of study of the biological sciences and the granting of the professional title of biologist was provided. It currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: biological sciences, genetics and biotechnology and microbiology and parasitology.

• Faculty of Physical Sciences (FCF): The studies of classical physics began at the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences of the University of San Marcos in the mid-century XIX. However, the study of modern physics was not officially instituted until 1966, with the creation of the Faculty of Physical Sciences. Currently it provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in its professional schools of: physics, and mechanical fluid engineering. It is responsible for the Historical Museum of Physical Sciences of the University and the Institute of Physical Research.

• Faculty of Mathematical Sciences (FCM): The Faculty of Mathematical Sciences begins its operation in 1850. In 1862, he was called the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, later in 1876 he took the name of Faculty of Sciences. From this faculty would be recognized scientists and mathematicians as Federico Villarreal and Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo. By the end of the century XX. The initiative to create the current National University of Engineering would emerge from this faculty. Today, the faculty is called the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, and is located in the University City. It provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools of: mathematical science, statistics, operational research and scientific computation.

The following table lists the faculties that make up area B, as well as the professional schools that make them up:

Engineering

The Engineering area is made up of the following faculties:

Main Pavilion of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, is located within the University City.

• Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering (FIGMMG): The teaching of geological engineering begins when the specialty of geology is created in 1935, later in 1968 the academic programs of geology and geological engineering are created. In 1971 the academic-professional School of Metallurgical Engineering was created. The Mine Engineering School was established on 5 November 1980. The Geographical Engineering School was established the following day on 6 November 1980. In 1983, the university assembly approved the creation of the Faculty of Geology, Mines, Metallurgical, Geographical Sciences and Mechanics of fluids that included such professional schools. In 1991, the faculty and the school of fluid mechanics was restructured to the Faculty of Physical Sciences. In 2009 and 2014 the School of Civil Engineering and the School of Environmental Engineering are created respectively; this is the final conformation of the current Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering. Currently it provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: geological engineering, mining engineering, metallurgical engineering, geographical engineering, civil engineering and environmental engineering.

• Faculty of Industrial Engineering (FII): It has its main precedent in the academic program of industrial engineering, established in 1969. However, this program did not work independently until 1982, when it was separated from electronic engineering and fluid mechanic engineering specialities. It would be only on 7 December 1988, that the university assembly would create the current Faculty of Industrial Engineering, the same one that is consolidated in its organization, with the prospect of fulfilling fully the role it has in accordance with its curricula. It provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: industrial engineering, textile engineering, and occupational safety and health engineering.

• Faculty of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (FIEE): He had his background in electrical and electronic studies at the Faculty of Physical Sciences. These studies would then be independent of the faculty and would jointly constitute a new one, the current Faculty of Electronic and Electrical Engineering of the University of San Marcos. It currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: electronic engineering, electrical engineering, and telecommunications engineering.

• Faculty of Systems and Computer Engineering (FISI): Its main precedent is the Computer School founded with the collaboration of the French government in the Faculty of Mathematical Sciences in 1969, being the first computer school, systems and computer science in Peru. In 1996, these studies are independent with the creation of the academic-professional school of systems engineering. On 30 October 2000, the Faculty of Systems and Computer Engineering of the University of San Marcos was established through a ruling. He is currently in charge of the University's Computer Center. Provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in their professional schools: systems engineering, and software engineering.

The following table lists the faculties that make up area C, as well as the professional schools that make them up:

Academic area	Faculty	Professional schools	PREGRATED		POSTGRADE		Other
			Br.	Lic.	Ms.	Dr.	Dip.	Esp.
C: INGENIERÍAS	07. Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering	07.2. Chemicals	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		07.3. Agricultural Engineering	✔	✔
	13. Faculty of Physical Sciences	13.2. Mechanical Fluid Engineering	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
	16. Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering	16.1. Geological Engineering	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		16.2. Geographical Engineering	✔	✔
		16.3. Mining Engineering	✔	✔
		16.4. Metallurgical Engineering	✔	✔
		16.5. Civil engineering	✔	✔
		16.6. Environmental Engineering	✔	✔
	17. Faculty of Industrial Engineering	17.1. Industrial Engineering	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		17.2. Textile engineering	✔	✔
		17.3. Occupational Safety and Health Engineering	✔	✔
	19. Faculty of Electronic and Electrical Engineering	19.1. Electronic Engineering	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		19.2. Electrical engineering	✔	✔
		19.3. Telecommunications Engineering	✔	✔
	20. Faculty of Systems and Computer Engineering	20.1. Systems Engineering	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		20.2. Software Engineering	✔	✔

Economics and management sciences

The area of Economics and Management is made up of the following faculties:

Main Pavilion of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and the Faculty of Accounting Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, is located within the University City.

• Faculty of Administrative Sciences (FCA): It has its beginnings in the administration studies given at the Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences, created in 1875. In 1920 the faculty changed its denomination to the Faculty of Political and Economic Sciences, restructuring its curriculum plan. In 1943 he changed his name again to the Faculty of Economic and Commercial Sciences. By 1960 the faculty had the School of Administrators. In 1984, the creation of an independent faculty for the study of administration, which is the current Faculty of Administrative Sciences, is concrete. The faculty currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in its professional schools of: administration, tourism administration and international business administration.

Lecture on Behavioral Economics at the Grade Hall of the Faculty of Economics of the National University of San Marcos.

• Faculty of Accounting Sciences (FCC): It originates with the accounting studies given at the Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences, created in 1875. In 1920 the faculty changed its denomination to the Faculty of Political and Economic Sciences, restructuring its curriculum plan. In 1943 he changed his name again to the Faculty of Economic and Commercial Sciences. By 1960, the faculty had the School of Accountants. In 1984, the creation of an independent faculty for the study of accounting, which is the current Faculty of Accounting Sciences of the University of San Marcos. It currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: accounting, tax management and business and public audit.

• Faculty of Economic Sciences (FCE): He has his background in economic studies at the Faculty of Political and Administrative Sciences, created in 1875. In 1920 the faculty changed its denomination to the Faculty of Political and Economic Sciences, restructuring its curriculum plan. In 1943 he changed his name again to the Faculty of Economic and Commercial Sciences. By 1960, the faculty had the School of Economists. In 1984, the creation of an independent faculty for the study of the economy, which is the current Faculty of Economics. It provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate; in its professional schools of: economy, public economy and international economy.

The following table lists the faculties that make up area D, as well as the professional schools that make them up:

Academic area	Faculty	Professional schools	PREGRATED		POSTGRADE		Other
			Br.	Lic.	Ms.	Dr.	Dip.	Esp.
D: ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT SCIENCES	09. Faculty of Administrative Sciences	09.1. Administration	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		09.2. Tourism Administration	✔	✔
		09.3. International Business Administration	✔	✔
	11. Faculty of Accounting Sciences	11.1. Accountability	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		11.2. Tax management	✔	✔
		11.3. Business and Public Audit	✔	✔
	12. Faculty of Economic Sciences	12.1. Economy	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
		12.2. Public economy	✔	✔
		12.3. International economy	✔	✔

Humanities and legal and social sciences

The area of Humanities and Legal and Social Sciences is made up of the following faculties:

Main Pavilion of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, is located within the University City.

• Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences (FLCH): He has his background at the founding of the University of San Marcos, when he had the powers of theology and arts, which would then derive from the Faculty of Letters that would develop his main activities in the Patio de Letras de la Casona de San Marcos. In 1854 and under the government of Ramón Castilla, he adopted the name of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities; in 1876, he was returned the title of Letras. At the beginning of the century XX., the faculty changed several times of name by including new programs, until in 1965 the current name of Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences is set. It is currently located in the University City. It provides studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools of: literature, philosophy, linguistic, social communication, art, literature and information sciences, dance and conservation and restoration. The faculty is responsible for various research institutes, museums such as the University of San Marcos Museum of Art and Language Centre.

• Faculty of Education (FEDU): He has his background at the Pedagogy Chair of the University of San Marcos on March 18, 1876, with the authorization of the then president of Peru Manuel Pardo and Lavalle. Since 1901, the Pedagogy Chair was part of the curriculum of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters as a compulsory course. On 14 December 1925 the section of Pedagogy was created at the Faculty of Letters. It would not be until 24 April 1946 that with the promulgation of the University Statute of 1946, at the University of San Marcos, the Faculty of Education. In 1984 the professional schools with which it counts today are created. It currently provides studies of: undergraduate, specialization and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools: education and physical education. Located mainly in the University City, it also has the San Marcos App Association, located in the Lince district.

Main Pavilion of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, is located within the University City.

• Faculty of Law and Political Science (FDCP): Its background dates back to the founding of the University of San Marcos in 1551, when the Royal Philip College was created within the university for the teaching of laws. In 1770, the historic Real Convictory of San Carlos was founded—fusing the existing San Felipe College of Law and San Martín College of Philosophy and Laws. In these cloisters, several ideologists of the South American emancipatory gesta were formed. During the government of Augusto B. Leguía the faculty of jurisprudence was transformed into the Faculty of Law. On 28 June 1935, a new university statute was given in which it was named the Faculty of Law and Political Science as it is known to date. Currently located in the University City, it offers studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools of: law and political science. It also has a free legal office at the service of the community.

• Faculty of Social Sciences (FCS): The history of the faculty dates back to the creations of the first chairs of social studies, such as those of history from 1857, that of sociology from 1896, and that of archaeology from 1920. In 1969, with the promulgation of the Organic Law of the Peruvian University, the Department of Historical and Social Sciences was created at the University of San Marcos. On September 24, 1984, in line with the University Law, a new administrative academic structure was established creating the Faculty of Social Sciences by grouping social studies programmes at the university. Currently located in the University City, it offers studies of: undergraduate, specializations and postgraduate degree; in its professional schools of: history, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, social work and geography. The faculty is responsible for the University's Archaeology and Anthropology Museum.

The following table lists the faculties that make up area E, as well as the professional schools that make them up:

Admission

Admission for undergraduate studies, which lead to a baccalaureate and then a bachelor's degree, is mainly through an admission exam. Although there are modalities to carry out a special exam in the case of transfers, foreigners, first places in schools and for the disabled, the most required type of exam is the ordinary one that is carried out twice a year: in March and in September. The admission exam of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos is considered the most rigorous admission exam for undergraduate studies in Peru, being statistically the most selective nationwide; This is mainly due to its difficulty and the large number of applicants that the university has. Precisely, this is expressed in the very strong competition that is generated in the admission of new students, with approximately 60,000 applicants presenting each year for around 6,000 vacancies —divided into two admission processes: March and September, and which includes applicants who take the ordinary general exam and/or the pre-university center exam—, the selectivity ratio being approximately 10% in admission. Since 2016, the new evaluation method for each admission contest is the application of the cognitive skills test to applicants (DECO^® Test), which seeks that applicants demonstrate ability and critical reasoning, before theorizing and memorizing when responding on different topics evaluated. It consists of an evaluation of 100 questions -30 of skills (5 in English) and 70 of knowledge- which lasts three hours. As a reference, in 2019 there were 58,516 applicants for undergraduate studies. In the case Of postgraduate studies, both for master's, specializations and doctoral studies, admission is made through registration at the Graduate School of the University of San Marcos. As there are a limited number of vacancies, an admission exam is carried out and graded by a special jury according to the area of study to which the applicant is applying. In this process there is also high competition. In 2020, after the suspension of the first admission exam on March 12, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and after spending more than 6 months without applying it, the University Council decided to approve the application. of the admission exam virtually, being the first of its kind in the history of the university, on October 2 and 3 of that same year.

Campus

Since its foundation, the University of San Marcos has passed through five different main locations, having two main transfers during the XVI century, one in the mid 19th century century, and the last in the mid XX:

• XVI, XVII, XVIII and XIX century: The first, the venue of the Convent of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Order of the Dominics; the second, near the extramurs of San Marcelo, where shortly before the Convent of the Order of St. Augustine had worked; the third, since 1575, in the early Plaza del Estanque, after the call of the Inquisition, the current venue of the Congress of Peru.
• XIX and XX century: In the second half of the centuryXIX he moves to the premises of the former San Carlos Convictory—Sanmarquina residence at the time—the Cultural Center of the University of San Marcos works today at the site. Likewise, at the end of the century XIX the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" moves to its definitive place at the current Avenida Grau.
• Twentieth and twenty-first century: Since the mid-1960s, during the government of Manuel Prado, the university began to occupy its main campus, the current University City, located between Universitaria Avenue and Venezuela Avenue. It currently includes the rectorate, the central library and 17 of the 20 colleges of the university.

Main headquarters and current infrastructure of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (you can click on the upper right corner to expand the visualization).

University City

Aerial view of much of the University City of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.

Since 1966, the Ciudad Universitaria of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, generally known as “University City of Lima” or simply Ciudad Universitaria, is the main campus of the Universidad de San Marcos and the focal point of the Avenida Universitaria —by giving it its name and by being the point from which this road expands both north and south. Its main entrances are located at Av. Universitaria, Av. Venezuela, Av. Germán Amézaga and Av. Óscar Benavides —formerly Colonial Av.—, in the district of Lima. In the Ciudad Universitaria de San Marcos the main administrative facilities of the university are located, such as the rectory. In it are located 17 of the 20 faculties of the University of San Marcos, the central library, the Stadium of the University of San Marcos, the university gymnasium, the dining room of the University City and one of the university residences. In addition, the City includes the archaeological complex of Huaca San Marcos, which is preserved and studied by students and researchers from San Marcos.

Since 2007, road works have been carried out outside the Ciudad Universitaria. The works imposed by the former mayor Luis Castañeda of the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima were widely questioned by the Sanmarquino student body, due to the fact that he intended to mutilate almost 29,000 square meters of the campus, and because the construction of a ring road would imply the disappearance of areas green areas and part of the buffer zone necessary for academic activities on campus. In 2008, specialists from the National University of Engineering and the CDL-College of Engineers of Peru joined the timely student request for the reformulation of the municipal works, pointing out that these works were oversized, that they lacked support enough technicians and that there were other options for traffic flows in the area. Currently, the works are paralyzed by a precautionary measure from the National Institute of Culture (INC), after verifying that these works damaged part of the cultural heritage in the Huaca San Marcos. Once the management of former mayor Luis Castañeda has ended, an agreement is expected between the new management of mayoress Susana Villarán and the university, which means a better benefit for both parties and for the neighbors, preserving the integrity of the Huaca San Marcos, conserving the buffer zone and green areas of the campus, and not incurring in unjustified and badly designed constructions. In January 2011, the new municipal management recognized that the ring road was unnecessary, agreeing with the position of the University of San Marcos, which was supported by the evaluations of specialists from the College of Engineers of Peru and the National University of Engineering.. Representatives of the university took this news in the best way, pending a conciliation and agreement to adjust the work for the university population and the Lima commune.

Main milestones of the University City of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (you can click on the upper right corner to expand the visualization).

Central Library

Exterior view of the Central Library "Pedro Zulen". It contains manuscripts dating from the century XVI, years in which the University of San Marcos began to operate.

Since 1768 the university sought to establish —in addition to the collections of each faculty— a central library, however, this would not come to fruition until 1871. Looted during the Chilean occupation during the War of the Pacific, at the beginning of the XX century began a modernization process undertaken by the librarian Pedro Zulen and the Peruvian historian Jorge Basadre, a process that achieved the reorganization and total cataloging of titles. The current "Pedro Zulen" Central Library of the university is the culmination of several computerization and modernization projects. The central library works in a 19,800 m² building, making it the largest university library in Peru and one of the largest in Latin America. It is made up of four buildings linked together, has five levels and is located in the Civic Plaza of the university campus.

Monument by Fray Tomás de San Martín, manager of the foundation of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, outside the Central Library "Pedro Zulen".

The building has the capacity to serve 2,500 users simultaneously. It has a multifunctional stage, 400 seats and various high-tech systems that allow surveillance by video cameras, Internet connection, videoconference systems, multimedia projectors, radio links and professional audio and sound equipment. The library has all its automated processes, such as those related to the acquisition of university publications, as well as the cataloging and classification of the texts and resources offered by the library. The university seeks to digitize all the information of national origin found in the library through its virtual library service, thus in the medium term it would include collections of newspapers and magazines —dating back to the XVIII—, books by well-known Peruvian authors and important works that, due to their small number or being unique copies, are of restricted use. The Central Library "Pedro Zulen", under the auspices of UNESCO, leads the initiative to develop and implement digitalization and electronic publication processes in the area of theses and other documents, using international standards such as OAI-PMH, TEI Lite, Dublin Core, ETD-MS, XML, among others. This initiative, which has received the name of Cybertesis from the University of San Marcos, is currently the largest repository in Peru.

Library system

Each of the faculties of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos has its own library specialized in the areas of study of each faculty, these are connected to each other through the Library System (SISBIB) of the university. Currently, in addition to the library system, the University of San Marcos has the Central Library "Pedro Zulen", which includes most of the university's titles, and which directs the main activity of the SISBIB. In addition to the central library and Of the libraries of each faculty located in the University City, SISBIB is also in charge of four specialized libraries located like other university dependencies: Spain Library of the Arts, Library "Raúl Porras Barrenechea Institute", Library of the Natural History Museum "Javier Prado », and Library-Museum «Temple-Radicati».

Clinic and university offices

Clinic of the University of San Marcos offers medical care and consulting to students, teachers, workers and the neighboring community.

The current San Marcos University Clinic, inaugurated in February 1998 by reorganizing the previous clinical offices, is located within the university campus. At this health center, care is provided to students, retirees, teachers, administrative staff and the neighboring community, performing operations and other emergency cases due to trauma, burns and serious injuries. It provides pharmacy, radiology, respiratory disease care, diabetes screening, AIDS screening, psychology, dentistry, gynecology, cosmetic surgery, etc. Regularly carries out, in conjunction with other institutions, vaccination campaigns, blood donation and sex education.

University residences

The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos has two residence halls for its two main campuses:

Residencia de la Ciudad Universitaria. It currently accommodates 102 low-income and provincial pupils.

• La Residencia de la Ciudad Universitaria is located on the main campus, between Avenidas Universitaria and Venezuela. It hosts male and female students; coaster, mountain range and jungle of Peru; of all specialties. This residence currently houses 101 students.

• The Julio C. Tello Residence is located in Av. Grau 1190, near the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" of the University of San Marcos. This enclosure houses provincial students—only males—of all specialties. It currently has 92 students.

Stadium of the University of San Marcos

Metallica (World Magnetic Tour) at the Stadium of the University of San Marcos.

The Stadium of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, officially known as the “Colossus of America”, is located practically in the center of the University City. Its main accesses are through the block 5 of Av. Amézaga and the block 36 of Av. Venezuela, in the city of Lima, Peru. It was inaugurated in 1951 commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the University of San Marcos. The San Marcos stadium initially had a total capacity of 70,000 people, becoming at the time the stadium with the highest capacity in Peru. It has recently been conditioned to an official capacity of 32,000 people. The remodeled venue will be the official venue for the 2019 South American U-17 Soccer Championship and the 2019 Pan American Games.

Locally, it has been the official stadium of the university's soccer team, Club Deportivo Universidad San Marcos, which played until 2011 in the Second Division of Peru. In addition to sports practice, the stadium has also been used as a space for the development of extra-curricular activities for students, teachers and administrative staff of the University of San Marcos. In recent years it has also been the scene of massive concerts, featuring bands and artists such as Metallica, Korn, Gustavo Cerati, Marc Anthony, Bon Jovi, Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fania All-Stars, Iron Maiden, Shakira, Slayer, Van Halen, Bad Religion, Juanes, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Noel Gallagher, Lady Gaga, among others.

Casona de San Marcos Complex

The old San Carlos (1912) by Teofilo Castillo, representing the interior of the Casona of the University of San Marcos. Painting currently in custody of the Museum of Art of Lima.

The complex of the Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos is one of the properties with the longest history of the university. Currently this complex includes the so-called Casona dating from 1605 and where the Real Convictorio de San Carlos and the University of San Marcos functioned for many decades before moving to the University City, the Panteón de los Próceres and the University Park, in which You can visit the German Tower with the university clock and various monuments of San Marcos intellectuals, such as those erected to Bartolomé Herrera, Sebastián Lorente and Hipólito Unanue, which are National Cultural Heritage.

Main milestones of the Casona of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (you can click on the upper right corner to expand the visualization).

San Fernando Campus

Postals of the 1910 years of the frontis of the main building of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (above) and the Botanical Garden "San Fernando" (below) located behind it.

The campus of the San Fernando Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos is the area that includes the largest number of faculties —Medicine and Pharmacy-Biochemistry— and related academic units to the health sciences area of the university —Human Medicine, Nursing, Medical Technology, Obstetrics and Nutrition—. In addition to the academic and administrative buildings, this campus includes the "San Fernando" Botanical Garden, the main botanical garden of the University of San Marcos, founded on March 18, 1787 by King Carlos III of Spain, and the university residence " Julio C. Tello». It is located next to the Lima Morgue and close to two of the capital's main health centers: the Dos de Mayo National Hospital and the Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen Hospital, previously referred to as Hospital Obrero.

Main milestones of the Campus of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (you can click on the upper right corner to expand the visualization).

Research

Mural dedicated to research and knowledge produced at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, located at the headquarters of its Central Library.

The National University of San Marcos has collaborated in the scientific development of Peru throughout its history. It is among the 10 Peruvian universities, out of more than 80, that carry out research with international standards; this is mainly due to the fact that the development of research has not been an area properly financed by the Peruvian government in recent decades. The University of San Marcos is also currently the institution with the highest scientific production in Peru, both annually and historically.

Regarding the development of research activity in San Marcos, in the middle of the XX century, the Peruvian government gave Provisions to emphasize and create scientific and university research areas. In this sense, in those years, various museums and institutes were created at the University of San Marcos that have promoted research in various branches of human knowledge. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, the university renewed its research system; this time focusing on many points of human knowledge through the assignment of specific projects to various academic departments. Currently, the development of the university's research is supervised by its Vice-Rectorate for Research and Postgraduate Studies.

Research institutes

Currently, the University of San Marcos has 37 academic research units usually referred to as institutes. Each of these are grouped according to the academic area in which they carry out their research, thus they are classified mainly in the areas of: health sciences, basic sciences, engineering, economic and management sciences, and humanities and legal and social sciences.. According to their areas of study, the research centers have specialized museums and laboratories where they exhibit and carry out studies on matters concerning their areas. Each institute also has its own publications where they present reports and results of the work and studies of their researchers. In addition to these institutes, the University of San Marcos is also in charge of other important institutes, museums, centers, libraries, and seminars. in Lima that —in a non-compulsory way— carry out research jointly with their related faculties.

Since 2015, after winning the first competition for centers of excellence convened by the National Council of Science and Technology (CONCYTEC), the University of San Marcos also has the Center for Technological, Biomedical and Environmental Research (abbreviations: CITBM), this being the first center of excellence in Peru dedicated to the integration of scientific research with development and technological innovation. It is led by the University of San Marcos and made up of three national companies and three international centers of excellence. It also has several national and international collaborators. The center's two lines of research are: biotechnology and health; and water, soil and society.

The following is a list of the main research institutes of the University of San Marcos:

The following describes some of the research institutes of the University of San Marcos mentioned above:

Bartonella bacilliformis

Carrion disease

Health researchers have led several of the main medical and health science discoveries in Peru. An example is that of Alberto Barton, a doctor and a Sanmarquino researcher, who in 1905 discovered the Bartonella bacilliformis, pathological agent responsible for the Peruvian wart. This disease was previously analyzed by the medical student, also Sanmarquino, Daniel Alcides Carrión, martyr of Peruvian medicine.

• Institute of Clinical Research: It is the institute responsible for stimulating, coordinating and conducting basic and applied research in medicine, in the context of problems of national or regional interest.

• Centro de Investigación en Bioquímica y Nutrición «Alberto Guzmán Barrón»: Founded in 1957, it is the center responsible for basic scientific research and applied in the fields of biochemistry, nutrition, health, molecular biology, molecular genetics and related areas, giving priority to research lines that help solve problems of national interest.

• National Institute of Andean Biology: It is the body responsible for research aimed at the best knowledge of the problems of life in height, in the genetic, morphological, biochemical, physiological, pathological, sociological, anthropological aspects, etc.

• Institute of Pathology: It is the unit responsible for contributing to national scientific and technical research and development in the field of human pathology.

• Institute of Tropical Medicine "Daniel A. Carrion" (IMT): It was created in 1963 by an agreement between the German government and the University of San Marcos, the first specialized institute was the research and treatment of tropical and infectious diseases in Peru. Thanks to this institute the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" has been designated by the Ministry of Health of Peru as the main reference centre for leprosy throughout the country. It currently offers the community, mainly low-income people, medical care specializing in infectious and tropical diseases, both in external clinic and in laboratory analysis, at affordable prices.

• Institute of Health Ethics: Agency responsible for ensuring the ethical development of medical and health research produced by the university.

• Research Unit of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry: She is responsible for planning and coordinating research activities at the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology, as well as the Institute of Natural and Therapeutic Resources "John of God Guevara". It also develops workshops and research sessions in coordination with the institutes of its faculty.

Leviathan melvillei

Inkayacu paracasensis

Plesiosaur

Sanmarquino researchers have led several of Peru's main paleontological discoveries. Among these, the discoveries of Leviathan melvillei, the Inkayacu paracasensis and the first Plesiosaur found in Peruvian territory. These fossils have been discovered and studied by paleontologists such as Rodolfo Salas Gismondi and Iván Meza Vélez, and are currently exhibited at the Museum of Natural History of the University of San Marcos.

• Instituto de Investigación de Ciencias Farmacéuticas y Recursos Naturales «Juan de Dios Guevara»: It is the agency of the university responsible for research on pharmaceutical sciences and natural and therapeutic resources.

• Instituto de Investigación en QuímicaCB, Microbiología y Biotecnología «Marco Antonio Garrido Malo»: It is the body responsible for research on biological chemistry, microbiology and biotechnology of the university.

• Centro Latinoamericano de Enseñanza e Investigación en Bacteriología Alimentaria: It is the unity of the university responsible for developing research and training on food bacteriology.

• Institute of Stomatological Research: It is the unit responsible for research in the stomatology of the university, as well as the publication and dissemination of these through its academic journal and scientific days.

• Instituto Veterinario de Investigaciones Tropical y de Altura (IVITA): Created in 1961, it is the research centre in charge of research in veterinary medicine and animal husbandry. Currently, it has four experimental stations: two in Andean ecosystems (El Mantaro and Maranganí-La Raya) and two in humid tropic ecosystems (Pucallpa and Iquitos).

• Psychological Research Institute (IIPSI): It is the unit responsible for developing research activities in relation to the area of psychology. The institute also promotes and supervises research projects for university professors and psychology students.

• Instituto de Investigación de Ciencias Biologicales «Antonio Raimondi» (ICBAR): Founded in 1977, this unit is responsible for the development of research on biodiversity and ecology, biotechnology, health and health, production and management of biological resources, as well as its dissemination, preservation, use and technological transfer within the rules governing the academic life of the university. The Institute has held the ICBAR Scientific Meeting annually since 1991, of great importance at the national level.

Polynomial

Neutron

Goldbach guess

Sanmarquino researchers have led several of the main discoveries in mathematics and science in Peru. At the end of the century XIX, the mathematician and sanmarquino engineer Federico Villarreal proposed a method to raise a polynomial to any (real or complex) exponent, later known as Polynomial of Villarreal. At the beginning of the century XX., physicist and engineer Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo first postulated the existence of the neutron, being so far the only verified Peruvian who has been nominated for a Nobel Prize in Sciences. In 2013, the mathematician Harald Helfgott, the son of teachers in San Marcos and emeritus professor at the University of San Marcos, demonstrates the weak conjecture of Goldbach, after 271 years of its formulation.

• Institute of Physics Research: It is the center responsible for research on physics and related areas. It is also responsible for the development of colloquiums and scientific days focused on students and researchers.

• Institute of Mathematical Science Research: Founded in 1992, it is the unit responsible for research in the areas of pure mathematics, applied mathematics, statistics, scientific computation and operational research.

• Research Unit of the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: It is the unit in charge of cross-sectional research of chemistry and chemical engineering, yes to coordinate the interrelationship and research of specific institutes for each of these areas.

• Institute of Chemical Sciences: This research unit coordinates the development of research activities related to chemical science, both theoretically and experimentally. It has involved chemical studies, studies of physical-chemical phenomena, phytochemicals, models of interaction, synthesis of compounds, among others.

• Institute of Chemical Engineering: This institute is responsible for the development of works and research involving chemical engineering. In this regard, it includes studies of environmental engineering, chemical kinetics, catalysis and biotechnology, synthesis of compounds, study of physical-chemical phenomena, among others.

• Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering Research Institute (IIGEO): In charge of designing research and development lines and strategies in line with the approach of technical and scientific projects that promote local, regional and national development. Execute project in the following research lines: geological engineering, mine engineering, metallurgical engineering, and geographical engineering.

• Industrial Engineering Research Institute (IIII): It is the institute responsible for research in industrial engineering. Its research lines include information, management and industrial production, industrial design and technology, and textile design and technology.

• Electronic and Electrical Engineering Research Institute: It has the responsibility to drive and develop all activities inherent in the field of research in the areas of electronic and electrical engineering. It integrates, coordinates and executes the projects of teachers and students of the faculty dedicated to research.

• Instituto de Investigación de Ingeniería de Sistemas e Informática (IIFISI): This unit has the mission to promote the improvement of intellectual production corresponding to the areas of systems engineering and computer science, and software engineering of the university.

Bases for an interpretation of Rubén Darío

Quechua languages

Sanmarquino researchers have developed several outstanding studies in humanities and social, including: Bases for an interpretation by Rubén Darío, the Peruvian writer's undergraduate thesis and Nobel Prize in Literature Mario Vargas Llosa, published as an essay in 2001. So too. Yawar Para, Kilku Warak’aq, Andrés Alencastre Gutiérrezpa harawin pachapi, Qosqomanta runasimipi harawi t’ikrachisqa, ch’ullanchasqa kayninpi, doctoral thesis presented in 2019 by anthropologist and literate Roxana Quispe Collantes, being the first doctoral thesis written and defended in a Quechua language.

• Institute of Administrative Science Research (IICA): It is the agency in charge of research activities related to the administrative sciences. It seeks to develop quality and innovation research projects at the national level.

• Financial and Accounting Research Institute (IICFC): It is the unit responsible for the invesitgation in the field of financial and accounting sciences. It develops projects that encourage professional updating and analysis of accounting, social and business management research.

• Economic Research Institute (IIE): It is the body responsible for the production of research in economics, covered by the areas of economic theory, public economy and international economy.

• Institute of Humanistic Research (IIH): This institute has the mission to train researchers in the field of humanities: literature, art, communication and information sciences, and philosophy, as well as to encourage research and publication of the results of the research carried out at the institute. Regularly conduct seminars, colloquiums, debates, workshops, conferences, symposiums, congresses, round tables and training courses for their research members.

• Institute of Applied Linguistics (CILA): It was created in 1972 Applied Linguistics Research Centre, name he kept until 1984. For more than 20 years it has been doing research on the linguistic and cultural diversity of Peru, including Andean, Amazonian and Hispanic languages and dialects.

Chavín de Huántar

Nazca Lines

Caral

Sanmarquino researchers have led several of the main historical, archaeological and anthropological discoveries in Peru. Such is the case of the Sanmarquino physician and archaeologist Julio C. Tello, who in 1919 analyzed the archaeological remains of Chavín de Huántar (1000 B.C.), then identifying them as the focus of the oldest Andean civilization in Peru. In 1927, the Sanmarquino archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe, would make the scientific discovery of Nazca lines under the guardianship of Tello. Finally, almost a century later, the archaeologist and anthropologist Ruth Shady would update the initial conclusions of Tello through her study of the citadel of Caral (3000 BC), which she identified as the oldest civilization in America.

• Instituto de Pensamiento Peruano y Latinoamericano (IPPLA): He has been able to design and execute research projects on different aspects of Peruvian thought. In principle, the institute aims to carry out research on Peruvian and Latin American thinking, within which it has concentrated primarily and primarily on the following areas: strictly philosophical thought, scientific-technological thought, ideological-political thought, theological-religious thought, and aesthetic-artistic-literary thought.

• Institute of Linguistic Research (INVEL): It was created as an agency of the academic department of linguistics to carry out research in the basic areas of general linguistics (theoretic), applied linguistics, Spanish and linguistic amerindia.

• Institute for Educational Research: It seeks to develop strategies and teaching methodologies to maximize the intellectual potential of the student body. Its main areas of research are: education administration and planning, teacher training, curriculum design, and pedagogical evaluation.

• Law and Political Science Research Unit: Founded in 1998, she is responsible for the development of research work on legal and political science disciplines, as well as the presentation of these at relevant academic events.

• Institute of Social Historical Research: Founded in 1988, he is the institute responsible for the research and publications of the university in the field of the historical-social sciences. It also coordinates various academic activities related to social research precesses.

Research groups

In addition to the research institutes, the university has around 500 research groups grouped by academic areas and faculty, these are the research nuclei of specific topics that operate under the leadership of research professors supported by students, graduates and associated researchers.

Scientific production and publications

According to the annual balance prepared by the National Council of Science, Technology and Technological Innovation (CONCYTEC) of Peru in 2009, 20% of Peruvian scientific production was generated by the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, which makes it the Peruvian institution with the greatest scientific production in all lines of activity. Marcos is positioned in Peru as the main public university in research activity and scientific publications. Several scientific publications of the University of San Marcos and its research institutes appear in prestigious popular science magazines, such as in the journals Nature and Science. Among the most relevant research topics published in recent decades, the investigations being carried out and n the citadel of Caral, medical research on diabetes, and the discoveries of the fossil of the giant prehistoric cetacean: Livyatan melvillei, of the giant prehistoric penguin: Inkayacu paracasensis, and of the first Plesiosaur fossil located in Peruvian territory.

The following is the number of scientific publications of the University of San Marcos from 1990 to 2019 (the most recent year of data published and considered by the 2021 edition of the SCImago Institutions Rankings):

The main scientific publications of the University of San Marcos are published in the academic journals Alma Máter —humanities, social sciences, and business sciences— and < b>Theorema —basic sciences, health sciences, and engineering—, and in the 20 official journals of each of the university's faculties, which are listed below —it is necessary indicate that in addition to the journals listed below, each professional school also has its own academic journal:

The following is a brief description of the main academic publications of the faculties of the University of San Marcos, listed above:

Experiment of visual discrimination with specimens of common tent fish (Cyprinus carpio), developed in the former university experimental psychology laboratory, 1998.

• Anales de la Facultad de Medicina: It is the main official publication of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" for the dissemination of education, research and topics related to medicine, medical practice, university medical education and the improvement of public health.

• Science and Research: It is a publication of the Research Institute of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry. It is responsible for publishing articles of a scientific nature, original and unpublished in the field of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences.

• Dentistry Sanmarquina: It is the scientific journal published by the Institute of Stomatological Research of the Faculty of Dentistry. It disseminates scientific and technical information related to the areas of stomatology and dentistry.

• Revista de Investigaciones Veterinarias del Perú: The main journal of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine disseminates original scientific articles related to the field of veterinary sciences, especially in the areas of animal production and health, public health and veterinary education, as well as in the areas of anatomy, histology, pharmacology, physiology, nutrition, fodders and genetics. The works deal with animals of company, production, wildlife and laboratory.

• Revista de Investigación en Psicología: It is a publication of the Psychological Research Institute of the Faculty of Psychology, dedicated to disseminating research on the topics of scientific psychology, in all areas of research, in the qualitative and quantitative modalities.

University library, where you can purchase the publications of the Editorial Fund of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, as well as various medical scientific journals.

• Revista Peruana de Química e Ingeniería Química: It is a semi-annual scientific publication edited by the Research Unit of the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemistry. The journal disseminates original and unpublished scientific articles in the field of chemical sciences and chemical engineering, produced by both national and foreign researchers.

• Revista Peruana de Biología: It is an arbitrary scientific publication produced by the Instituto de Investigaciones de Ciencias Biologicals "Antonio Raimondi", of the Faculty of Biological Sciences of the university. It is responsible for publishing full, original and unpublished articles on biodiversity, biotechnology, ecology, environmental management and biomedicine.

• Journal of Physics Research: It is an arbitrary scientific publication, edited by the Faculty of Physical Sciences. It is dedicated to the publication of articles of contribution in physics and articles of teaching physics resulting from a rigorous process of scientific initiation and training in research.

• Pesquimat: It is a publication of the Research Institute of the Faculty of Mathematics Sciences. It disseminates original and unpublished articles that contribute to knowledge in the areas of pure mathematics, statistics, operational research and scientific computation.

• Revista del Instituto de Investigación de la Facultad de Ingeniería Geológica, Minera, Metalúrgica y Geográfica: It is a publication of the Research Institute of the Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering that is responsible for publishing results of original and unpublished research in the field of earth sciences.

• Industrial Data: It is the main scientific publication, of semester periodicity, edited by the Research Institute of the Faculty of Industrial Engineering. Original and unpublished research works are published in the field of industrial engineering and related areas.

Local of the Institute of Tropical Medicine "Daniel A. Carrión", located in the University City of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.

• Electronic-UNMSM: It is the scientific journal published by the Research Institute of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. It disseminates primary and original articles on electrical engineering, electronics, telecommunications, information technologies, telematics, among others.

• Revista de Investigación de Sistemas e Informática: It is a scientific publication published by the Research Institute of the Faculty of Systems and Computer Engineering. On a biannual basis, it is dedicated to publishing original and unpublished articles on the topics related to the field of systems engineering, software engineering, computer science and computer science.

• Management in the Third Millennium: Published by the Research Unit of the Faculty of Administrative Sciences, it includes research results in the field of administration developed by teachers and researchers, as well as inputs from professionals from the academic and business world.

• Quipukamayoc: It is the journal of accounting research published by the Institute of Research of the Faculty of Accounting Sciences, which promotes and disseminates articles on topics of current accounting of high academic level, both for the university and business community.

• Critical Thinking: It is published by the Institute of Research of the Faculty of Economics, it disseminates works that address the problems of the economy from different perspectives. The magazine seeks to be a space for academic debate covering the different fields of the economy.

• Letters: It is the scientific journal of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, aimed at the publication of research articles, bibliographic review and opinion articles linked to humanistic studies in the Peruvian and Latin American sphere.

• Scripture and Thought: Revista published by the Research Unit of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, dedicated to academic and research topics in humanities — literature, art, sciences of communication and information, and philosophy—, linguistics and Peruvian and Latin American thinking.

• Educational research: Research journals published by the Institute of Research of the Faculty of Education. It disseminates research work carried out by its teachers in the fields of education and academy.

• Docentia et Investigatio: It is a publication of the Research Unit of the Faculty of Law and Political Science. It disseminates the research work carried out by teachers and students of the faculty in order to contribute to the development of the legal sciences and the political sciences.

• Social investigations: It is a scientific publication produced by the Social Historical Research Institute of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Its main purpose is to contribute to the effort of the social sciences in Peru, with the rigorous examination of the nature and content of the transformations of Peruvian and Latin American society and culture.

Editorial background

The Publishing Fund of the University of San Marcos is the division in charge of publishing books, magazines and newspapers under the seal of the university, after the proposals have passed rigorous selection procedures. In order for a work to be published, it must also comply with the imposed publication regulations, as well as with the style manual that the label indicates through its website. The publications are made both in traditional format and printed format and via the Internet. The publications of the editorial fund can be purchased at the bookstore and production center of the university: CENPROLID, located in the "Ciudad Universitaria".

Culture and heritage

Cultural centers

Currently, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos has two important cultural centers in two of its historic buildings. The well-known Casona de San Marcos —its main cultural center— and the Colegio Real de San Marcos.

Mansion of the University of San Marcos

The Centro Cultural “La Casona” de San Marcos (acronym: CCSM), commonly known as “la Casona” del Parque Universitario, is the main historical site of University. Founded as the headquarters of the Jesuit novitiate of San Antonio Abad, it became the headquarters of the university in 1861, remaining as such until the middle of the century XX, when the university moved to its current Ciudad Universitaria campus. After its recent restoration, the "Casona" is the main reference for the cultural and artistic activity of the University, and one of the best preserved buildings from the colonial era in the city of Lima. It is one of the main tourist attractions of the Center historical of Lima The complex is part of the area and the list of buildings in the historic center of the capital that in 1988 was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

The history of the Casona goes back to the year 1605, when Antonio Correa Ureña gave the Jesuits an important donation for the construction of their novitiate or probation house. In the early years the complex consisted only of a chapel and two courtyards. After its destruction by the earthquake of 1746, it was rebuilt by the Jesuits following the same layout as before. It would remain like this until 1767, when the Jesuit order was expelled from the Viceroyalty of Peru, it became the location of the Real Convictorio de San Carlos. In 1821, after the independence of Peru was proclaimed, the Casona complex became the main premises of the University of San Marcos, then reaching its maximum splendor. The general hall of the Casona San Marquina had historical importance as the location of the first Constituent Congress of Peru at the time of independence, in addition to witnessing the events of the Pacific War with the Chilean invasion in Lima and the destruction and appropriation of several of its collections.

Since the transfer of the university, the Casona remained a place of great historical value and importance not only for the university but for the city, which is why in 1989 the National University of San Marcos, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) and the National Institute of Culture sign a Peru-Spain agreement to achieve the restoration of the architectural complex and adapting it to a new use as a space dedicated to culture, research and artistic creation. Currently, the Casona, as the Cultural Center of San Marcos, offers cultural extension courses, exhibitions and is the headquarters of several university museums and research centers. Inside the Mansion stands out the Salón de Grados —formerly the Chapel of Loreto—, where the official ceremonies of the doctorates honoris causa awarded by the university are held.

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  San Marcos and Parque univesitario

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  University Park and Clock

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  Panteon de los Proceres

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  Grade Hall

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  General Hall

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  Estatua de Hipólito Unanue

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  Court of Law

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  Patio de Letras

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  Patio de Ciencias

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  Patio de Jazmines

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  Patio de Chicos

Royal College of the University of San Marcos

Exterior view of the Royal College of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos.

The Cultural Center «Colegio Real» de las Culturas Peruanas Contemporáneas, established as such in 2006, is the second cultural center of the University of San Marcos and also one of the historical buildings of Lima being located in the environments of the old "Colegio Real" of San Marcos dating from the colonial period, next to the Congress of the Republic of Peru. It is made up of three units of the university: the Institute of Applied Linguistics CILA, the "Domingo Angulo" Historical Archive of the University of San Marcos, and the Andean Rural History Seminar. Exhibitions and shows are regularly held, which mainly take place in the exhibition hall of the Colegio Real.

The history of the Colegio Real dates back to the end of the XVI century, when it was founded on the initiative of Viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo in 1592. It was a school with studies of canons and laws, for the education of the children, grandchildren and descendants of the Spanish conquerors and settlers of the kingdom, as well as for people of recognized merit. The rector of the college was also the rector of the University of San Marcos; the day-to-day administration of the school fell to the vice-rector, who lived in the cloister. Both positions had a duration of two years and were maintained even in the event that the rector ceased to be rector of the University. The rectoral biennium ran from June 28, the eve of the feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The constitutions and ceremonies of the Colegio Mayor Santa Cruz were kept in the College. After the Bourbon reforms that led to the expulsion of the Jesuits, the campus was recast as the Convictorio de San Carlos. At the end of the XVIII century, War Inspector Gabriel de Avilés y del Fierro dedicated the premises to the headquarters of the Royal Regiment of Lima. Later, during the Republican era, it was the headquarters of the General Staff of the Army. Since the end of the XX century, the University of San Marcos has given the Colegio Real the functions of a Cultural Center and Historical Archive.

Centers for higher studies and research

The University of San Marcos has the following higher education and research centers, two of which also function as house-museums and have their respective specialized libraries:

Exterior view of the Raúl Porras Barrenechea Institute: Centro de Altos Estudios y de Investigaciones Peruanas.

• The Instituto Raúl Porras Barrenechea: Centro de Altos Estudios y de Investigaciones Peruanas (siglas: IRPB) was created in homage to the illustrious Sanmarquino teacher Raúl Porras Barrenechea. The institute is responsible for: the Casa-Museo Raúl Porras Barrenechea—part of the Literary Route "Mario Vargas Llosa", declared a historical and artistic monument, for which all his works of art, furniture, paintings, sculptures, photographs, family and personal memories, the Porras archive, and the museum of the Peruvian writers are preserved. It is located in the district of Miraflores and is a neighbour of the Casa-Museo of Ricardo Palma, which allows it to fully develop the purposes for which it has been founded and which have made it one of the poles of the cultural activity of the country. Its main research covers the areas of humanities, arts and social sciences.

• La Fundación Biblioteca-Museo Temple Radicati: Centro de Altos Estudios y de Investigaciones Peruanistas (siglas: FBMTR) was created in homage to the illustrious Sanmarquinos Ella Dunbar Temple Aguilar of Radicati and Carlo Radicati di Primeglio, who donated their property and all cultural property to the university, including an invaluable collection of 26 quipus. The foundation is in charge of the House-Museum Temple Radicatias well as his library specializes. Its functions include promoting studies and research of a legal, historical, anthropological, archaeological, sociological, ecological, and geographical character, as well as carrying out various cultural activities.

• The Asian Studies Centre (siglas: CEAS) is an organization focused on the study and research of Asian countries, such as China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, India, Thailand, among others, in matters of economics, politics, culture, art, society, history and international relations. It was founded on 7 November 2018 in the San Marcos case in the framework of the Second Annual Meeting of the University Consortium Fudan - Latin America (FLAUC), event co-organized by the University of Fudan and the National University of San Marcos. The main objectives of CEAS are: the development and promotion of knowledge on Asian countries, the generation of related research, and the proposal for appropriate policies for better use of the opportunities offered by this region in the areas of development, investment, trade and tourism.

University museums

In addition to the two centers for higher studies and research that also function as house-museums, the University of San Marcos currently has five institutions that function exclusively as museums, these are:

Main entrance to the Museum of Natural History "Javier Prado".

• Museum of Natural History of Lima: The Museum of Natural History, founded on February 28, 1918, was located until 1934 in the Casona de San Marcos; it is currently located outside the university campus, in the district of Jesús María. The museum is an important information centre on Peruvian biodiversity, which is a documented way for national students and scientists. Studies by museum researchers include ecological studies, inventories of the country's biodiversity and monitoring of natural communities. The museum's collections include specimens of flora, fauna and gea, many of which also have a historical value, being exemplary obtained by important naturalists such as Antonio Raimondi, Augusto Weberbauer, Ramon Ferreyra, Emma Cerrate, Wolfgang Karl Weyrauch, husbands Hans Koepcke and Maria Koepcke, among others. Currently the collections exceed one and a half million copies, many of which are displayed to the public in an open and permanent way or in temporary exhibitions.
• Paleontological Museum of Sacaco: It is a paleontological museum located in the district of Bella Unión, one of the thirteen districts of the province of Caravelí, located in the department of Arequipa. It is part of the museums of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos attached to the Faculty of Biological Sciences and subsidiary of the Museo de Historia Natural de Lima. The museum protects the Paleontological Zone of Sacacorecognized by the Ministry of Culture of Peru as Cultural Heritage of the Nation, this being one of the Paleontological Sites of the Pisco and Camaná Basins which is part of the indicative list of possible nominees as a World Heritage Site in Peru.

• Museum of Art: Founded in 1970 by the art historian Francisco Stastny, under the name of Museum of Art and History, is located in the courtyard of Law of the Case of San Marcos. It is now made up of four collections: the "People's Art", made up of ceramics and fabrics of the villages of the mountain range and jungle, which gather the ancient traditions in the elaboration of the same; the collection of "Portraits" that represent sanmarquinos teachers and authorities of the centuries. XVI, XVII and XVIII; that of "Modern and Contemporary Art", constituted by paintings and sculptures winners of competitions organized by the university between 1950 and 1970; and the collection of the archive of "Peasant Painting". In addition to the exhibitions the museum performs various publications, and promotes workshops for university students and the general public.

• Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology: Founded in 1919 by the Peruvian archaeologist Julio C. Tello, under the name of Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, is located between the courtyard of Letras and the courtyard of the Jazmines of the Casona de San Marcos. The museum has received throughout its history the support of renowned researchers such as Julio César Tello, Luis Eduardo Valcárcel, Luis Lumbreras, Ruth Shady, among others. In 1946, a considerable set of historical objects were transferred to the National Museum of Archaeology, Anthropology and History of Peru, however, the collection of the museum continues to cover a wide variety of cultural objects: Lithic, ceramic, textiles, metals and organic material. It highlights the participation of the museum and the archeology area of the university in various archaeological projects, such as: the studies on Chavín, Paracas and the Casma valley; the recovery and study of the buildings of Caral, the first American civilization; and the research work carried out in many archaeological and huaca sites of the country. The museum also conducts various courses and workshops, as well as publications, exhibitions and conferences, where they reveal results of recent archaeological and anthropological studies.

Péndule de Foucault in the area of mechanics, heat and waves of the Historical Museum of Physical Sciences.

• Historical Museum of Physical Sciences: It was created on November 11, 1986 with the aim of exhibiting the pieces that were part of the physics cabinet that was previously located in the Casona of the University of San Marcos. The present Historical Museum of Physical Sciences is made up of four areas: the area of modern optics and physics, the area of solid and fluid mechanics, the area of heat and waves, and the area of electricity and magnetism. The current purpose of the museum is to promote this discipline, as well as to make known instruments that have been able to carry out experiments in this area of research. The museum is located in the pavilion of the Faculty of Physical Sciences of the University, in the University City.

• Museum of the History of Peruvian Medicine: It is the institution responsible for preserving the medical, historical, bibliographical and documentary evidence of the origins of modern medicine in Peru and the Faculty of Medicine of the National University of San Marcos. Among the objects and documents it preserves are: the historical medical instruments; the records of the faculty councils and graduation records; the archive of Hipólito Unanue; the archive of Daniel Alcides Carrion formed by his family epistolary and publications on the verruga; acuarelas and manuscripts of Antonio Raimondi; paintings of Sanmarquinos and Sanfernandinos featured; ancient volumes of the centenarian magazines: The Lancet, JAMAamong others; collection of Bachelor's and PhD in medicine from 1856 to 1978; works from the centuryXVI of classic authors; film material, and others.

• Museum of Paleontology: It is the institution responsible for preserving and exhibiting the acquis of the Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. It is composed of the cabinets of paleontology, petrology and mineralogy.

• Museum of Minerals: It is the institution responsible for preserving and exhibiting acervo from the Faculty of Geological, Mining, Metallurgical and Geographical Engineering of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and part of the private collection of Guido del Castillo, mine engineer and Peruvian cultural manager. It was opened in September 2019 as part of the 35th anniversary of the Professional School of Geological Engineering. It has an important collection of fluorescent minerals, the second of its kind in Peru.

Archaeological sites

The National University of San Marcos has under its custody various archaeological sites, remains, pieces and historical collections, highlighting the following:

The San Marcos huaca, formerly called Huaca Pando or Huaca Aramburú, captured by researcher Thomas Joseph Hutchinson (1873). It is part of the Maranga complex. Formerly he was facing the Concha huaca, destroyed in the middle of the century XX..

• Huaca de San Marcos and others of the archaeological complex Maranga: These archaeological sites are located within the main university campus. They are part of the monumental complex Maranga, belonging to the Lima culture, which extends between the district of Lima, the district of San Miguel and the district of Pueblo Libre, there are preserved archaeological remains of this complex in other places such as within the Parque de las Leyendas and within the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. The main building is located at one of the ends of the campus and has the name "Huaca de San Marcos" or "Huaca San Marcos". This is studied and guarded by archaeologists and researchers at the University of San Marcos, where various ceramios, offerings such as the spondylus and quipus. With the whole of great cultural importance, the Ministry of Culture of Peru first declared the San Marcos huaca and then all the minor archaeological sites of the campus, as Cultural Heritage of the Nation.

• Pacopampa Archaeological Site: This ceremonial complex is located in the department of Cajamarca, Chota province, Querocoto district. Pablo Macera organized in 1966 a trip to the archaeological site, previously identified by Rafael Larco Hoyle and in 1970 he got Emilio Choy Ma, a researcher from ancient Peru, to make a donation to San Marcos to acquire the Pacopampa Ceremonial Center. Since that date, the university has had permanent care of the archaeological monument. Different archaeologists have come to carry out 16 archaeological campaigns. In the first stage, archaeologists Hermilio Rosas and Ruth Shady intervened. The archaeologists Rosa Fung Pineda, Peter Kaulicke, Isabel Flores, Idilio Santillana, Daniel Morales Chocano and Jaime Miasta Gutiérrez have then carried out different research. In 2009 an archeological mission of Japan led by the Yuji Seki identified the funeral rigging of a woman named the "Dama de Pacopampa", which would be nearly 3000 years old. On 21 November 2010, the Ministry of Culture of Peru declared the archaeological site of San Pedro de Pacopampa as a National Cultural Heritage Site.

Whale fossil in the paleontological area of Sacaco, with more than 5 million years old.

• Paleontological Zone of Sacaco: Millions of years ago the present desert of Sacaco was a bay with decommunal beings due to its dimensions, a marine area that, as a result of geological changes, has preserved the fossils of various species that lived during the upper miocene and the lower pliocene; among these are huge sharks, whales, giant oysters and mega-therapies that are discovered today. In this context, Hans Jacob Siber founded the Paleontological Museum of Sacaco to preserve the paleontological area of the same name, which was recognized by the Ministry of Culture of Peru as a National Cultural Heritage Site. This area is part of the Paleontological Sites of the Pisco and Camaná Basins which are currently on the indicative list of possible nominees as a World Heritage Site in Peru.

Specialized Libraries

The University of San Marcos, in addition to its central Library and the libraries of its faculties located mainly in the University City, has four other important specialized libraries:

• Spanish Library of Arts: Previously called "Spanish Library of the Cultural Centre of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos", it is dedicated to collecting, organizing, preserving and disseminating the bibliographic and audiovisual collection, facilitating access to specialized cultural information, as well as supporting the research of its thematic areas.
• Biblioteca «Instituto Raúl Porras Barrenechea»: In it the personal papers of the Sanmarquino educator Raúl Porras Barrenechea, his research files, letters, ballots, notebooks, notebooks and notes, publications, and original texts of his written production, documentary set that constitutes the Porras Archive. The Melitón Porras Archive and part of the José Gálvez Archive are also preserved in this place.
• Natural History Museum Library: The Museum of Natural History "Javier Prado" has collections of enormous historical value in its library, which are the product of important naturalists such as Antonio Raimondi, Augusto Weberbauer, María Koepcke, among others. These collections make the library and museum important information centres on biodiversity — flora, fauna and gea — Peruvian.
• Temple-Radicati Library: It is part of the Temple-Radicati Library-Museum Foundation, which was formed in 1996 thanks to the donations of Ella Dunbar Temple Aguilar of Radicati and Carlo Radicati di Primeglio. The collection is composed of Spanish and Italian encyclopedias, dictionaries, history books, geography, sociology, literature and various novels, law, art, archaeology, etc.

Collections and manuscripts

Real Provision, founding document of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1551, first university officially founded in Peru and the Americas.

Through its "Domingo Angulo" Historical Archive, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos preserves copies of documents and writings of great historical relevance dating back centuries XVI, XVII, XVIII and XIX, such as the Real Provisión and the Real Cédula del Emperor Charles I of Spain and V of the Holy Roman Empire of May 12, 1551 and the papal bull Exponi Nobis of Pius V of July 25, 1571, which founded and reaffirmed the Constitution of the University of San Marcos as the first university in the American continent. In 2019, the "Fondo Colonial y Documentos Fundacionales de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos: 1551 -1852" was incorporated into the UNESCO Memory of the World Register, in recognition of its significance for global collective memory.

Various institutions of the University of San Marcos such as the Central Library, the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, the Raúl Porras Barrenechea Institute, among others, also have what were private collections and manuscripts of illustrious San Marcos people who left their university as a legacy; works by authors and researchers such as César Vallejo, José María Arguedas, Raúl Porras Barrenechea, Ella Dunbar Temple, Julio César Tello, Antonio Raimondi, etc. These manuscripts and collections are kept by the University of San Marcos and entrusted to the corresponding university dependency according to their historical and scientific context.

Other centers, schools and cultural addresses

The University of San Marcos has agencies and departments that promote cultural activities, below is a description of some of them:

• University Ballet: The ballet of San Marcos (BSM) has more than forty years of existence. It has as the main venue of the ballet school and its presentations the local of the Cultural Center of San Marcos. In recent years, the ballet of San Marcos has been under the direction of Vera Stastny, so that the collaborations of choreographers such as those of Costa Rican Rogelio López and the British Royston Maldoom have been promoted.

• Banda Universitaria: The band and orchestra direction of San Marcos is an artistic, cultural and protocol unit of the University of San Marcos. It is currently a unit of the Cultural Center of San Marcos. It originated in 1996 when the university authorities conceived the idea of providing San Marcos with a Band of Music. The group, made up of sanmarquinos interested in the field, participates in the protocol acts of the university and invitations to which it was cited.

• Language Centre: The UNMSM language centre is the institution responsible for providing courses: English, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Quechua, Korean and Spanish for foreigners. It has a laboratory equipped with video and individual audio cabins. Provide courses in different schedules, often daily, interdiary and only weekends. The language centre of the University of San Marcos offers its courses to the university community and to the general public, operates mainly in the premises of the Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, within the University City, in the district of Lima, and its premises are located in the district of Los Olivos and in the district of San Juan de Lurigancho.

• Cinema and Television: The current cinema and television address of San Marcos has its main precedent in the "Cine Arte de San Marcos", an organization that makes its first session in the year 1967 in the Casona del Parque Universitario, currently headquarters of the Cultural Center of San Marcos. Since then film projections, conferences, exhibitions and seminars have been carried out regularly. In April 1998, the Art Cinema of San Marcos was incorporated into the Cultural Center of San Marcos and began the publication of its film culture magazine: "BUTACA sanmarquina". Since 2006, workshops have been implemented by filmmakers such as Giovanna Pollarolo, Joshua Méndez and Armando Robles Godoy. Since that same year, the director of the Film and Television program, as is currently known, of the university is in charge of Mario Pozzi-Escot.

Main Auditorium « Ella Dunbar Temple», where the main conferences, exhibitions and seminars of the university are held. The auditorium also includes presentations of the ballet, theatre, choir, orchestra, etc.

• University Choir of San Marcos: The choir of the University of San Marcos (CUSM) was founded in November 1954 at the request of several Sanmarquino students. She had as the first director to musicologist, arranger and composer Rosa Alarco Larrabure, who dedicated much of her life to the research of Peruvian traditional music. The CUSM has offered countless presentations in various places in Peru and has participated in national and international festivals. Currently, the CUSM is composed of students of different faculties, workers, teachers and graduates of the University of San Marcos.

• University Theatre of San Marcos: The theater of the University of San Marcos (TUSM) was founded on September 4, 1946 in Lima, at the request of several students of the Faculty of Letters, with Manuel Beltroy as director and only professor then; this is the first initiative in Peru for a university program of theater. Over the years, the TUSM has participated in numerous international festivals and meetings in Latin America, Denmark and Monaco, among other countries. He is currently under the direction of Mario Delgado Vásquez.

• Tuna de San Marcos: The university tuna is created by the initiative of young students in 1996. In recent years the Tuna of the University of San Marcos has participated in various contests and meetings of the region, competing with national and foreign universities and obtaining the first places. La Tuna de San Marcos has performed recitals, festivals, meetings and contests with the aim of spreading the art of good tunar, such as those performed in the main auditoriums of the University of San Marcos, the ICPNA, the Exhibition Park, among others.

• Tuna Femenina de San Marcos: Better known as the Tuniña was founded in 1999 on the initiative of the university students themselves. This is the only cast of the university that has represented it in Europe (Portugal and Spain), obtaining various awards and recognitions in contests and meetings. He has also participated in cultural activities in Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia, having also toured the paternal soil in almost all its extension. The tuniña organizes, every two years, the Tunas Peru International Biennial, where it gathers the best tunas for a week, thanks to the support of the university and public institutions, private and international organizations.

World Heritage and Peru

La Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos —historic location of the university with more than 400 years of history—, the Royal College of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos and the Basilica and Convent of Santo Domingo, are monuments that are part of the area and the list of buildings of the Historic Center of Lima recognized as World Heritage by UNESCO since 1988:

	Historical center of Lima
	Good. cultural cultural registered in 1988, extension in 1991.
	Location: Lima, Peru Peru
	Description: Lima, the City of the Kings, was the most important city and capital of the Spanish domains in South America until the mid 18th century. Despite the severe damage suffered by earthquakes, it has numerous architectural monuments, such as the convent of San Francisco, the largest part of the world in its genre. Many limean buildings are joint creations of local craftsmen and artists and architects and masters of works of the Old Continent. (UNESCO/BPI) Brief synthesis: Placa acknowledging the Casona of the University of San Marcos as part of the historic center of Lima, World Heritage by UNESCO. The Historic Center of Lima, known as the City of the Kings, is located in the valley of the Rimac and was founded by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Pizarro in January 1535 in the territories led by the Cacique of Rimac. Lima was the political, administrative, religious and economic capital of the Virreinate of Peru and the most important city of the Spanish domains in South America. The city played a leading role in the history of the New World from 1542 to the eighteenth century, when the creation of the Virreinates of New Granada (1718) and La Plata (1777) gradually ended the omnipotence of the oldest Spanish colony in South America. The process of evangelization brought various religious orders at the end of the century XVI. They obtained a great recognition that resulted in the construction of many churches and convents of great extension and sophistication. Hospitals, schools and universities were also built. La Universidad San Marcos was built in 1551. The social and cultural life of the city was organized in these places, thus giving the Historic Center an image of convent that characterized the urban profile of the city until the middle of the twentieth century. There, high-level artistic creation and production took place and influenced most regions of South America. The demographic change, from the colonial city to today, explains the serious modifications of the urban landscape. In the current metropolitan area you can see a small footprint of the historic center of Lima, except for some notable ensembles: the Plaza de Armas (with the cathedral, the chapel of the Sagrario, the archbishopspal palace), the Plaza de la Vera Cruz with Santo Domingoand above all the monumental complex of the convent of San Francisco. Although the urban development of the centuryXX. —the construction of Abancay Avenue in 1940—has reduced this immense domain, San Francisco still has a set of conventual buildings that stands out for its surface, its coherence, the beauty of architecture and the wealth of interior decorations. Many of the public works built during the virreinate period are important historical monuments of today, such as the stone bridge over the river Rimac, the Paseo de Aguas, the Alameda de los Descalzos and the Plaza de Toros de Acho located in the current district of Rimac, and the General Cemetery, currently called Presbytero Matías Maestro. In the seventeenth century, the city was surrounded by walls until 1870. During this period, the architecture of Lima changed due to several strong earthquakes in 1586, 1687 and 1746. Therefore, the buildings were stabilized with adobe and bricks on the first floor and quincha (during pre-Hispanic times) in the second, thus improving structural behavior during earthquakes. The civil architecture was characterized by facades, corridors, patios and balconies particularly closed or "box", which varied slightly in style and type during the republican period, until the end of the century XIXWhen urban modernization began and new European-style architectural buildings were introduced. Historical monuments (religious or public buildings, such as the Tagle Tower Palace) that are within the perimeter of World Heritage date back to the 17th and 18th centuries and are typical examples of Spanish-American Baroque. The architecture of the other buildings is often representative of the same period. Thus, despite the addition of certain buildings of the centuryXIX (like Casa Courret in Art Nouveau style) to the old urban fabric, the historical core of the city reminds Lima at the time of the Spanish Kingdom of Peru. (UNESCO/BPI)

The Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos also has —or is historically related to— several monuments considered by the Ministry of Culture of Peru as Cultural Heritage of the Nation, as they are architectural works or places of artistic, historical, cultural and social:

Go.	Monument	Province	Locality	Location	Image
LIM-243	Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos: Parque Universitario, corner with Jirón Azángaro.	Upload another image
LIM-193	Plaza de Santa Ana de Lima	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	12°03′03′′S 77°01′22′′O / -12.0508, -77.0228 (Plaza de Santa Ana de Lima)	Upload another image
LIM-224	Church of San Carlos de Lima, Today Pantheon of the Procers	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos: Parque Universitario, corner with Jirón Azángaro.	Upload another image
LIM-226	Church of San Marcelo de Lima	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	Rufino Tarrico, corner with Emacipation Avenue.	Upload another image
LIM-239	Convent of Santo Domingo and Church of the Veracruz of Lima	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	Jr. Camaná, corner with Jirón Conde Superunda.	Upload another image
LIM-248	Congress Palace	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	12°02′53′′S 77°01′31′′ / -12.0480, -77.0253 (Congress Palace) Plaza de la Inquisición (known today as Plaza Bolivar).	Upload another image
LIM-252	Old Royal College of San Felipe	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	12°02′50′S 77°01′26′′ / -12.047247, -77.023785 (Ancient Royal College of San Felipe) Royal College of the National University of San Marcos: Jr. Ancash square 6, corner with Jirón Andahuaylas.	Upload another image
LIM-257	Former San Fernando Medical School	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	12°03′28′′S 77°01′23′′O / -12.057778, -77.023056 (Ancient medicine school in San Fernando) Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" (Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos): Av. Grau block 7.	Upload another image
LIM-399	Casa de Raúl Porras Barrenechea	Province of Lima Lima	Miraflores District (Lima)	Calle Narcissus de la Colina 398, corner with Calle Alfonso Ugarte 179.	Upload another image
LIM-463	Huaca de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos	Province of Lima Lima	Lima District	12°03′37′S 77°05′12′ / -12.06016, -77.086665 (Huaca de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos) University City of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos: Avenida Universitaria s/n. - Avenida Venezuela, block 34.	Upload another image
	Pacopampa Archaeological Site	Chota Province Cajamarca	Querocoto District	6°20′02′S 79°00′47′ / -6.33389, -79.0131 (Pacopampa archaeological site)	Upload another image
	Palaeontological zone of Sacaco	Caravelí Province Arequipa	District of Bella Unión	15°32′40′S 74°43′56′ / -15.5444871, -74.7321019 (Paleontological Zone of Sacaco)	Upload another image

Sports

The Stadium of the University of San Marcos has been the main stage of the Universiadas (National University Games) of 1951, 1955 and 1983, of the South American Championship of Football Sub-17 of 2019, and of the 2019 Pan American Games, among other activities.

The University of San Marcos has been very important in university sports activity in Peru. On August 7, 1924, students from San Marcos founded the Peruvian University Sports Federation. This federation has organized since 1936 the National University Sports Games, the Regional University Sports Games and the National University Championships. In addition, since 1963 it has participated in the World University Games called Universiades.

Most university sports activities take place in the Gymnasium and in the San Marcos Stadium. Among the sports and disciplines are: football, futsal, volleyball, rugby, shooting, table tennis, basketball, athletics, long-distance running (middle-distance running and long-distance running), handball, Olympic swimming, Greco-Roman wrestling, karate, judo, traditional kung fu, sanda, taekwondo, aikido, capoeira, wing chun, tai chi, xing yi quan, pa kua chang, chi kung, powerlifting, weight lifting, aerobics, fencing, among others. Parallel to this, the university has several teams that participate in the national and regional leagues of different sports. In this area, the basketball team of the University of San Marcos stands out, which participates in the Lima Basketball League, both in the men's division as in the women's upper division; like the soccer team Club Deportivo Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos that came to participate in the Second Division of Peru.

The Peruvian athlete with the national record in the 100-meter dash, known colloquially as "the fastest man in Peru", is Andy Martínez from San Marcos, a professional athlete and current student of International Business Administration at the University of San Marcos.

National University Games: Universiade

The first university Games were held in 1936, in the city of Lima. Among others, the following participated: the La Molina National Agrarian University, the National Engineering University, the San Agustín de Arequipa National University, the San Antonio Abad National University of Cuzco and the National Mayor University of San Marcos, which was the first university to host the event.. Since then, the distance of four years between each Games was marked —recently they have been taking place every 2 years—, having a special edition to commemorate the four hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1951. That same year, as part of the of the urban development of Lima and of incentive to the university sport, the Stadium of the University of San Marcos was inaugurated in the center of the main campus.

The University of San Marcos has teams for different sports disciplines with which it has been national champion in most editions of what are now called Universiade: National university games —San Marcos has won 9 of the 11 editions where a champion—, thus being the most successful university in these national games.

Pan American Games

For the celebration of the 2019 Pan American Games, the Lima 2019 Organizing Committee chose various sports facilities located between the city of Lima, as well as in Callao, as Pan American venues. Among them, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, which had its stadium remodeled to host all male and female soccer matches.

Football

Soccer, the most popular sport in Peru, has always had special significance for students from San Marcos. Throughout its history, the University of San Marcos has had various professional soccer teams, among them the University Soccer Federation (today the University Sports Club) and the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos Sports Club.

"At the beginning of the 20s there was a marked interest in the authorities of the National University of San Marcos to encourage sport among students. Young people also showed great predisposition to practice it, but there was a discipline that predominated in the taste of boys in front of all others: football. The teachers of that time did not see with good eyes that the young students dedicate several hours of their time to do sport, because they considered that this would go to the detriment of their academic performance. However, the story was written and the young people from the various faculties were organized to give their body to the one they called the University Federation—today Sports Club”.

Luciano Rico Molina

Origin of the University Sports Club

Today's historic and iconic shield of the University Federation of Football (currently the University Sports Club) was designed by the Arequipaeño Luis Málaga Arenas, student and delegate of the Faculty of Medicine "San Fernando" of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in 1924.

José Rubio Galindo, a student at the Faculty of Letters, and Luis Málaga Arenas, a student at the Faculty of Medicine, dedicated their free hours to exchanging ideas with a view to realizing a common desire: "to create a great institution." Later they would join Plácido Galindo, Eduardo Astengo, Rafael Quirós, Mario de las Casas, Alberto Denegri, Luis de Souza Ferreira (who scored the first Peruvian goal in a Soccer World Cup), Andrés Rotta, Carlos Galindo, Francisco Sabroso, Jorge Góngora, Pablo Pacheco, Carlos Lassus and Carlos Cillóniz among others.

It was so that on August 7, 1924, at 7:00 p.m. (UTC-5), the university students met at the headquarters of the Federation of Students of Peru, at Calle Juan de la Coba 106, in the city of Lima, giving rise to the University Football Federation as an association of the representative teams of the Faculties of the University of San Marcos and the Special Schools of Engineering, Agronomy and Central Normal.

In the club's founding act, it was decided to institute a garnet letter "U" enclosed in a circle of the same color with a white background as a shield. The design was in charge of Luis Málaga Arenas from Arequipa, at that time then delegate of the "San Fernando" Faculty of Medicine and one of the most enthusiastic managers of the formation of the University Football Federation. The first shields were large and with a very rustic finish. They were used on the left side of the chest and in some cases in the center of the uniform. Currently, the official design of the shield uses a more stylized typeface and the background of the shield is cream. In sportswear it is always used on the left side.

In 1929, the University Federation team of the University of San Marcos (now Club Universitario de Deportes) won the National Football Championship for the first time.

The National Sports Committee, the highest body of Peruvian sports at that time, recognized the University Federation as if it were a League. Hence, together with the Peruvian Football League, the Amateur Association, the Chalaca League, Circolo Sportivo Italiano and Lima Cricket and Football Club, they formed the Football Federation. After participating in different inter-university tournaments and friendly matches between 1924 and 1927, the Peruvian Football Federation invited the University Federation to participate in the 1928 Selection and Competition Championship (First Division Tournament).

He made his official debut on May 27 against Club José Olaya de Chorrillos, whom he beat 7:1. At the end of the championship, the University Federation ranked second behind Alianza Lima, with whom he played for the title in three games: (victory 1:0, draw 1:1 and defeat 2:0). In 1929, only twelve teams participated in the championship due to the suspension of Alianza Lima for refusing to cede its players to selection. In this tournament, Universitario obtained its first national title, at the end of the championship with seven wins, three draws and one loss, completing seventeen points, one more than Circolo Sportivo Italiano, which they had defeated 7:0. Carlos Cillóniz, a Universitario footballer, scored eight goals, becoming the top scorer in the championship.

Demonstration of sanmarquino students members of the Federation of University Students (siglas: FEU), flying in 1930 the flag used to represent both their organization and the emerging University Federation of Football.

In 1930, the first World Cup was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, and the Peruvian team attended the event with a squad that featured eight players from the merengue team (Eduardo Astengo, Carlos Cillóniz, Luis de Souza Ferreira, Alberto Denegri, Arturo Fernández, Plácido Galindo, Jorge Góngora and Pablo Pacheco). After the World Cup, the club's first official tour took place: it traveled to the provinces by steamboat to face the Association White Star, which they defeated 1:0, then toured Huacho and participated in the Gubbins Cup. That same year, they were part of group 2 in the national tournament, achieving two victories and a draw, with which advanced to the final league, where he took third place.

The following year, discrepancies arose internally with the authorities of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, since the rector José Antonio Encinas prohibited the use of the name —University Football Federation— and this led to the change, by Club Universitario de Deportes, becoming completely independent from the university. The club, which is currently the team with the most national titles in the history of Peruvian soccer, maintains an important historical link with the University of San Marcos.

San Marcos Sports Club

In 2001, the University of San Marcos created the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos Sports Club, which was born as a club in the summer of 2001. In subsequent years it would rise in the district and regional leagues until it reached the Second Division of Peru, where it played until 2011. Club San Marcos played at home in the San Marcos stadium located on the university campus. The team baptized with the name "Los Leones", because this animal is the symbol of the evangelist San Marcos, had its best participation in 2006, when it reached the runner-up position in the Second Division of soccer.

Later, the university created Deportivo San Marcos. The club participates from 2013 to date in the first division of Cercado de Lima. It is one of the main cheerleading teams in the tournament and was runner-up three times. He qualified several times for the Interleague tournament in Lima. Then the San Marcos Cultural Sports Association, which participated in the Puebo Libre district league in 2013 and qualified for the Lima Interleagues of the same period. Finally, the university has its own soccer team that participates in the University Soccer League organized by FEDUP, from 2008 to the present.

South American Soccer Championship Under-17

The San Marcos University Stadium was the sole venue of the 2019 South American U-17 Soccer Championship that took place in Peru. The tournament champion was Argentina, which achieved its fourth title in this category. Peru was in fifth place.

Academic Rankings

In recent years, the use of international university rankings to evaluate the performance of universities at a national and global level has become widespread; These rankings are academic classifications that locate the institutions according to a bibliometric-type scientific methodology that includes measurable and reproducible objective criteria, taking into account, for example: academic reputation, employability reputation for graduates, research citations to their repositories and their impact on the web. Of the total of 92 licensed universities in Peru, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos has almost always been located within the top three places nationwide in the various international university rankings. Together with the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia and the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, it is one of the only three Peruvian universities that have come to occupy the 1st position.era position at the national level in certain editions of existing academic rankings, such as the University Rankings by Academic Performance of the URAP Center, the QS World Ranking of Universities by Quacquarelli Simonds, the Web Rankings of Universities by CSIC known as Webometrics, and the SIR World Reports by SCImago Research Center, being to date the only Peruvian public university to have achieved this position in several editions.

International conventions

Sanmarquino students at Harvard University, as part of the academic exchange program "Sanmarquinos para el Perú", co-organized by the University of San Marcos and LASPAU, an institution affiliated with Harvard.

The University of San Marcos has had more than 500 international cooperation agreements and currently has more than 150 active framework and specific agreements with various universities and institutions worldwide. The general office for cooperation and inter-institutional relations is the entity of the university in charge of managing and disseminating scholarships and agreements. This is located in the central headquarters of the rectory.

The university's inter-institutional agreements may involve cooperation in research, teacher development and training, exchange programs for undergraduate and graduate students, organization of scientific conferences, etc. Among the main educational institutions with which the University of San Marcos has had agreements for student and research exchanges are Harvard University (through LASPAU), University of Oxford, University of Bologna, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University, University of Salamanca, Complutense University of Madrid, Autonomous University of Madrid, Autonomous University of Barcelona, University of Cologne, University of Montreal, University of Montreal, University of Buenos Aires, University of São Paulo, among others. While among the main organizations with which cooperation links have been maintained, it is worth mentioning the United Nations Development Program, the World Food Program, the International Astronomical Union, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, among others.

In addition to the agreements of the university itself described above, it has counted —as a main member of the Strategic Alliance— with agreements to achieve exchanges of undergraduate and postgraduate students from the three main Peruvian universities —UNMSM, UNI and UNALM—. These exchange programs have occurred mainly with universities in Germany, France and Italy, Spain and Japan, as well as other Latin American, European, North American and Asian countries.

Featured Characters

Authorities, professors, researchers and graduates from Sanmarquinos de fines del s. XIX and beginnings of the s. XX.

Medicine and Health Sciences

Letters and Social Sciences

Jurisprudence and Laws

Both formally and colloquially the characters that have been part of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos; students, professors, researchers, and even those who have been awarded the distinction of honorary professor or the title of Doctor honoris causa, have received the title of < b>sanmarquinos. The word has been commonly used by the Peruvian population throughout its history to refer to the close and prominent figures of this house of studies, and even to the pets and animals adopted by the university community.

Students, professors and researchers

In its more than 470 years of history, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos has seen numerous students, professors, researchers, deans, and rectors who have stood out at the local, national, Latin American, and global levels. The University of San Marcos has had a very significant influence on the development of science, medicine, engineering, law, politics, social, humanities, arts and sports subjects, throughout the history of Peru, managing to highlight the students and professors in decisive periods for the national reality such as: throughout the Viceroyalty —centuries XVI, XVII and XVIII—; during the process of Independence —XVIII and XIX—; and in the current Republican era —centuries XIX, XX and XXI. Pedro Peralta y Barnuevo, Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo —candidate for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1943—, Federico Villarreal, Alfred Rosenblatt, Eduardo de Habich, Carlos Bustamante Monteverde and Harald Helfgott; doctors like Hipólito Unanue, Cayetano Heredia, Daniel Alcides Carrión and Alberto Barton; writers and artists such as Mario Vargas Llosa —Nobel Prize for Literature in 2010, the only Peruvian Nobel to date—, César Vallejo, Alfredo Bryce Echenique, José María Arguedas —candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971—, Ricardo Palma, Abraham Valdelomar, Javier Heraud, Blanca Varela, Ventura García Calderón —candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934— and Alberto Hidalgo —candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1966—; social researchers such as Julio César Tello, María Rostworowski, Ruth Shady, José de la Riva Agüero y Osma, Javier Prado y Ugarteche, Raúl Porras Barrenechea and Jorge Basadre; lawyers and politicians such as Francisco García-Calderón Landa —candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1934—, Mariano H. Cornejo Zenteno —candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize from 1931 to 1939—, José Bernardo de Tagle, Bernardo O'Higgins, Víctor Raúl Haya de la Torre, Víctor Andrés Belaúnde and Beatriz Merino; economists like Javier Silva Ruete and Daniel Schydlowsky Rosenberg; twenty-one Presidents of the Republic of Peru; among many others.

Honorary doctors

The Doctor honoris causa is the highest academic distinction conferred by this higher house of studies. The University of San Marcos began to award this recognition in the XIX century to the two greatest liberators of South America: José de San Martín and Simon Bolivar. In addition to these, among the main figures who have received this recognition by the university during the XX and XXI include Pope John Paul II, French President Charles de Gaulle, Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, researchers Alberto Barton and Maria Reiche, the Secretary Generals of the United Nations Javier Pérez de Cuéllar and Ban Ki-moon, and Nobel Prize laureates: Albert Einstein, Peter Agre, Peter C. Doherty, Pablo Neruda, Camilo José Cela, Mario Vargas Llosa, Muhammad Yunus, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Peter Diamond, Robert C. Merton, Eric Maskin, Cristóbal Pissarides, among others.

Pop Culture

The Sanmarcan tradition indicates that at the end of the century XVI the evangelist San Marcos was chosen as the patron and official name of the university.

• By September 6, 1574, at the second campus of the university—the church of San Marcelo—the official denomination of the university had already been chosen by lot. The options were the four Catholic evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Peruvian writer Ricardo Palma relates precisely in one of the accounts of his Peruvian traditions, eighth series (1896), entitled The patronage of San Marcos how the institution acquired its current name and the evangelist as its patron — plus, by extension, the Lion of San Marcos as its pet.

• In 1572, Francisco de la Cruz, sixth rector of the University of San Marcos, was accused of being enlightened and was therefore seized by the Inquisition. A case was opened by accusing him in addition to false prophets, aberrant behaviors in exorcism, aberrant ideas such as the restitution of lands to the indigenous and heresy. The process came to an end in 1576, and although torture was applied to force him to retract, he was finally found guilty for to have been and to be heretic, heresy, dogmatizing and teaching new sect and mistakes. It was burned in the bonfire during a car of faith on April 1, 1578. Another Sanmarquino involved in a car of faith was the doctor Francisco Maldonado da Silva, burned at the stake on January 23, 1639.

El Hospital Real de San Andrés, where the School of Medicine of the University of San Marcos worked in its beginnings, would have also been the last place that kept the mummy of the Inca Emperor Pachacútec.

• Harvard University, founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636, is the oldest university in Anglosajona America. In turn, the University of San Marcos, founded in Lima, Peru in 1551, is in a way its "counter" and "brother" as the oldest university in Latin America — in general, the oldest in the American continent. This historical peculiarity has contributed to the recent increase in cooperation between the two institutions on subjects of student exchange, promotion of studies, teacher training and support for researchers. In the last year more than 20 teachers and 140 students from the University of San Marcos traveled to receive training at Harvard University. Thus, the U.S. university has indicated that it will support research from its Peruvian counterpart, facilitating postgraduate studies of teachers and students in the country.

• In 1811 the School of Medicine of the University of San Marcos began its operations at the Royal Hospital of San Andrés, a local that the university had already begun to use since 1792, when it opened its first anatomical amphitheater there. This campus that was part of the university has to date a great historical value. On the one hand, for being the oldest hospital in Peru and South America, and on the other, for being the last place that, according to Garcilaso de la Vega and José de Acosta, a set of mummies of the Inca royalty would have been housed, among these those of the Emperor Pachacútec. Currently, Sanmarchian archaeologists are involved in a project for the setting up of value as a cultural centre and museum of the medicine of the local.

• In 1937 the “Torre del Clock” of the University of Puerto Rico was lifted; it included the shields of the University of San Marcos on the left, the shield of the University of Puerto Rico to the center, and the coat of arms of the University of Harvard on the right. San Marcos established in Lima, Peru in 1551 is the oldest University of the Americas. Harvard, founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1636 is the oldest university in the United States. Both represent the oldest universities in South America and North America, from which the University of Puerto Rico aspires to inherit its centuries-old educational traditions.

The "Clock Tower" of the University of Puerto Rico includes the coatings of the Harvard University (right) and the University of San Marcos (left), as these are the oldest universities in North America and South America. The University of Puerto Rico aims to inherit its centuries-old educational traditions from these historic universities.

• The Office of Inter-American Affairs —Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs—, a U.S. agency, recorded in 1944 a documentary about Lima that included a visit to the University of San Marcos, then located in the Casona del Parque Universitario. In the recording you can see the old admission process consisting of an oral examination; one of the teachers and evaluators registered in the documentary is the Sanmarquino historian and diplomat Raúl Porras Barrenechea.
• During the Second World War, the Peruvian and Sanmarquino physician Ernesto Pinto-Bazurco based in Germany came to suffer persecution for the Gestapo, becoming in political prison at the castle of Laufen in 1942. Years later, when he was released, he took office as a consul of Peru in Germany, allowing him to issue documents and passports that helped several Jews escape the holocaust promoted by the Nazi regime. In 1948 he returned to Peru, where he resumed his medical profession. He died on May 19, 2014. The castle of Laufen, where he was imprisoned, currently has a memorial plaque in his honor.

• The short novel The one lying on the threshold, initiated by the American writer of terror and science fiction H. P. Lovecraft and culminated in 1945 by August Derleth — a writer belonging to the Lovecraft Circle — mentions the University of San Marcos as one of the locations where fragments of the mythical Necronomicon, a fictional magic book of the Lovecraftian universe are kept. The other fragments of the grimorio are the British Museum, the National Library of France, the University of Harvard, the University of Buenos Aires and the non-existent University of Miskatonic.

• The novel Conversation in La Catedral (1969) of the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, has as protagonist Santiago Zavala, who narrates through the novel various events of his life, one of which is his step by the University of San Marcos during the dictatorship of Manuel Odría.

• Luis Abanto Morales, Peruvian singer and songwriter, composed a sailor entitled San MarcosIn honor of the four-year-old schoolhouse.

Casona de la Universidad de San Marcos, historical center of the university, is currently the place of its cultural center, museums, cultural units and other units.

• In the novel The Speaker (1987), also by writer Mario Vargas Llosa, both the first narrator and Saul Zuratas, a character who develops a deep appreciation and connection with the Machiguenga ethnicity, are former students of the University of San Marcos.

• On 28 November 1987, chapter 56 of the anime was released Saint Seiya (士국星, Seinto Seiya^?), also called in Hispanic America: The Knights of the Zodiac. This episode was titled: "Shaka! The closest man to a god» (Șteliers! もののに。, Shaka! Mottomo kami ni chikai otoko^?) and in it, the golden knight Shaka of Virgo makes use of a special technique to send his adversary of fight, the bronze knight Ikki of Phoenix, through the six worlds of metempsicosis — "reincarnations roar"—, being one of these hell. In that scene, one of the main background images used by the animators to represent hell is a photo of former U.S. President Richard Nixon being abducted and insulted by Sanmarchian students on their visit to the San Marcos National University Case in 1958.

• The complex of the "Casona de la Universidad de San Marcos"—which includes the "University Park" in its exterior—of wide historical and cultural importance, is part of the area and the list of buildings of the historic center of Lima that were recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988.

• The American TV Series MacGyver the University of San Marcos in the episode The Treasure of Manco (1990). In this episode, MacGyver, the protagonist, travels to Peru and visits San Marcos to interview María, daughter of a renowned Sanmarquino archaeologist, with whom he investigates a supposed hidden treasure in the Andes.

• In the 1991 version of the ticket of 20 new soles — currently still in circulation together with the 2011 version — you have the image of the professor and diplomat Raúl Porras Barrenechea. The main courtyard of the Casona de la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, where he gave a chair, is observed.

Vargas Llosa, accompanied by several Peruvian intellectuals and members of the Peruvian Academy of Language, in his visit to the Raúl Porras Barrenechea Institute of the University of San Marcos, 2011.

• In the autobiographical book The fish in the water (1993), Mario Vargas Llosa, Nobel Prize in Literature 2010, recounts several significant episodes in his life, including his time as a student of law and literature at the University of San Marcos.

• In 1994 Dark Horse Comics published a series of 4 comics called Indiana Jones and the Arms of Goldpart of the famous American series and franchise. In history, young Indiana Jones travels to Peru and meets Dr. Julio Huertas, a renowned former professor at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, dismissed for being an APRA activist and exiled in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Huertas helps Indiana Jones in his quest for "The Golden Finger" — an artifact that according to that fiction was "The arms of Chimu Taya de Cuzco", part of the gold armor of the great Inca Emperor Pachacútec.

• The Peruvian television series Men of bronze, led by Alejandro Guerrero and produced by Panamericana Televisión at the end of the 1990s, issued several episodes dedicated to Sanmarquino intellectuals from the beginning and mid of the 20th century, such as: César Vallejo, Julio César Tello, Augusto Weberbauer, Daniel Alcides Carrión, José María Arguedas, Santiago Antúnez de Mayolo, among others. In such episodes, various courtyards of the Casona of the National University of San Marcos were used in the representations of the university times of the aforementioned characters.

• The Peruvian television program Around the corner, led by Gonzalo Torres and produced by Plus TV, released an episode entitled "Universidad San Marcos: The oldest in America" (2009). It narrates its origin and significance that the institution has had in the historical development of Latin America and Peru.

• Since 2010 the use of the Stage of the University of San Marcos has been popularized as the scene of important concerts, presenting bands and artists such as Metallica, Korn, Gustavo Cerati, Marc Anthony, Bon Jovi, Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, Fania All-Stars, Iron Maiden, Shakira, Slayer, Van Halen, Bad Religion, Juanes, Aerosmith, Pearl Jam, Noel Gallagher, among others.

1951 stamps on the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, commemorating the 400-year foundation of the first university in Peru and the Americas.

• The Peruvian archive of image and sound (ARCHI) recovered in 2011 a color recording of May 12, 1951, Alfred William Gauger's record of the symbolic placement of the first stone of which would be the "University City" of San Marcos, all of this as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the university that were given in 1951.

• The admission examination of the University of San Marcos of 1982 is represented at a scene of the comedy film Asu mare! of 2013, then the most tachyllera Peruvian film production. In this, Carlos Alcántara Vilar, protagonist and narrator of the story narrates how he does not get into being disqualified by attempting plagiarism.

• The University of San Marcos is considered the most representative university in the country, and is usually referred to as the reflection of Peru. A national survey prepared by the newspaper El Comercio and Ipsos on the occasion of the celebrations of 28 July in 2013 showed that in identifying Peru with a university: 41% do so with the University of San Marcos, the second and third place are identifications with the National University of Engineering (14%) and the Catholic University (7%).

• In a study conducted in late 2013 by Ipsos on the perception of university graduates in the thousand top companies of Peru, 84% of the companies indicated that they would hire graduates from the University of San Marcos. They follow him in preferences on the private side: the Catholic University (61%) and the University of Lima (52%), and on the public side the National University of Engineering (66%).

The popular "Perrovaca"—in real name "Olga"—was the most emblematic pet of the University of San Marcos. In 2014, one of the few participating animals was the most voted urban character in a competition organized by the Soda Field cookie brand in Peru.

• According to the Top 100 of the most valued brands in Peru, produced in 2014 by the Brand Asset Valuator And fakeR — the world's largest brand database — the San Marcos National University (UNMSM) brand occupied 1.♪ place of the education category—category that represents for the Peruvian consumer a medium of prestige and progress—and 30th at the general level, being considered a good transversal educational proposal for all the strata of Peruvian society. The universities that completed the Top 100 were: the National University of Engineering in second place (35° in general), the Ricardo Palma University in third place (44° in general), the Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia in fourth (71°), the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in fifth (74°), and the University of Lima in sixth place (79°).

• The University of San Marcos has several traditions and characters of contemporary sanmarquina culture. Among the best known traditions are the verbnas of each faculty, as well as the presentations of the sikuris; while among the most well-known characters there is the comensal called the "Gusano Legendario", the sanmarquina pet named "Perrovaca", the pet known as the "Gato de la Puerta 2", and the internal mobility referred as the "Burro".

• On May 12, 2017, in the framework of the celebrations for its 466th anniversary, the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos becomes ambassador and licensee of the Peruvian Brand by receiving PromPerú the license of use of the aforementioned country brand. This in view of the historical and academic significance of the university for the country and the American continent.

Pablo Macera next to young Sanmarchian students at the local of the Andean Rural History Seminar, located within the Royal College of the National University of San Marcos.

• The Peruvian television program It happened in Peru, led by Norma Martínez and produced by TV Peru, issued an episode entitled "Universidad de San Marcos" (2017). It narrates the history and importance that the institution has had in the academic development of Latin America and Peru. In one of the documentary's promotional videos, one of the most famous figures of Sanmarquina popular culture appears: "Perrovaca".

• As part of the celebrations for the 196th anniversary of Peru's independence, the international news network CNN produced a list called "10 things in which no one can overcome Peruvians." Along with Machu Picchu, Peruvian gastronomy, the Inca Kola, the pisco sour, the potato and the alpacas, the list mentions the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos as one of Peru's leading proud heritage, being the official first and oldest university in America.

• The University of San Marcos and its status as the oldest university in America — at the beginning of May 12, 1551 and being the only one in the American universities of the centuryXVI which has operated without permanent closures to date—have been recognized and mentioned in various articles and ephemeris of publications such as the National Geographic, the TIME magazine, the book The Founding of Harvard College by Samuel Eliot Morison—recognized military marine and historian at Harvard University—among others.

• The beginning of the 1960s at the University of San Marcos is represented in the Peruvian film Javier's passion 2019. This shows the young Peruvian poet Javier Heraud entering the National University of San Marcos to study law, feeling increasingly committed to the social problems of Peru. The film also included some shots from the Patio de Ciencias de la Casona at the University of San Marcos to represent the former venue of the Catholic University, where Heraud also studied literature.

• The Peruvian documentary The Journey of Javier Heraud 2019 includes a scene at the Patio de Letras de la Casona of the University of San Marcos in which Ariarca Otero, niece of Heraud, talks with Arturo Corcuera, a Sanmarquino poet and friend of Javier Heraud.

• In the film Dora and the lost city of 2019, a real image version of the Dora series, the explorer emitted by Nickelodeon, one of his protagonists: Alejandro Gutierrez, character is played by Mexican actor and comedian Eugenio Derbez, is presented as an explorer and professor at the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. In the film, Dora and Professor Gutierrez embark on an adventure to locate a great lost treasure of the Incas at the heights of Peru. In addition, Isabela Moner, an American-Peruvian actress who played Dora, said she had learned for the film a little Quechua from audio recordings by a professor at the University of San Marcos in Peru.

• In a study conducted in 2019 by Ipsos on the image and perception of institutes and universities in Peru among young people aged 15 to 18, the main university mentioned spontaneously as a study option was the University of San Marcos. Also, in the assessment of perception of the best university for studies of administration, law and engineering, the University of San Marcos was first in the first two areas, and second in the last category — only behind the National University of Engineering.