Historical background         Period 1826 – 1855         Period 1859 – 1923         Year 1923         Present Day

College of the Society of Jesus

The most remote antecedent of higher education in San Luis Potosí is the old College of the Society of Jesus, which was established on the same site where the University’s emblematic Central Building stands today. Its eclectic façade and the architectural modifications made over the years have not diminished the educational spirit and tradition that began in the early 17th century.

The Society of Jesus was the fourth religious order to establish itself in the region. They arrived in the town of San Luis Minas del Potosí in December 1623, after signing the founding document for a college on November 3 of that same year in Mexico City. The college began operating the following year formally. Evidence of this exists in books that belonged to its library, some of which are still preserved and safeguarded by this institution.

For more than 140 years, the college hosted numerous generations of scholars who studied theology, the humanities, canon law, basic literacy, Latin, and other subjects taught there. It also administered an orchard attached to the building for more than 100 years, as well as the La Parada estate located on the road to Zacatecas. This allowed the institution to maintain financial stability to support its professors, students, and charitable works.

The Jesuits left what was then the city of San Luis Potosí—and the territory of New Spain—in 1767, following the order issued by King Charles III to expel all Jesuits residing in the territories under his rule.