Our History

The teaching of medicine and surgery in Oaxaca began in 1827 when the Institute of Sciences and Arts opened its doors to society, institutional antecedent of our Autonomous University "Benito Juárez" of Oaxaca. The institute was installed in house number 8 of San Nicolas Street (currently Hidalgo Avenue), beginning its work with the professorships of medicine, surgery, civil and natural law, public law, canon law and ecclesiastical history, political economy and statistics, physics and geography, logic, mathematics, ethics, English and French. The Institute of Sciences and Arts thus became the second institution in the Mexican Republic in the teaching of medicine and surgery.

In 1834, the first qualified physician graduated and by 1954, 175 physicians had graduated from the hospital. By decree of Don Benito Juárez, on August 14, 1857, the general hospital was designated as the official clinical area for the school of medicine and surgery of the institute of sciences and arts of the state. At the end of 1931, the institute obtained its autonomy and ceased to depend on the education section of the government, however, it acquired complete autonomy until December 20, 1943 and was named the Autonomous Institute of Sciences and Arts of the State of Oaxaca.

At the end of 1954, a proposal was elaborated for the institute to be elevated to university status and by decree it was established on January 17, 1955 as "Benito Juárez" University of Oaxaca; and in August 1971 the decree was issued as "Benito Juárez" Autonomous University of Oaxaca (UABJO). By then, the medical school, which was located in the central building on the corner of Independencia and Macedonio Alcalá streets, moved in October of the same year to the convent of San Francisco, on the corner of Bustamante and Burgoa, also housing the bachelor's degrees in dentistry, nursing and obstetrics, and pharmacy. Progressively, these schools became independent; the school of pharmacy gave origin to the current School of Chemical Sciences.

The school moved twice more, once to the house located on the corner of Porfirio Díaz and Morelos streets and another time to the San Pablo convent located on Fiallo street. Finally, it moved to the current building, the old part of the Ex-Hacienda de Aguilera, rebuilt and adapted ex profeso; on March 27, 1968, the reinauguration of the building of the then School of Medicine, Surgery and Nursing took place. In 1988, the school reached the rank of faculty by offering seven medical specialties in agreement with local hospitals.