The shield of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH) was created by the teacher Medardo Anaya Armas and represents the identity and values of the highest house of studies in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico.
Today it is a public institution, offering 102 educational programs at the upper-middle, higher and postgraduate levels. It is estimated that more than 50 thousand students participate in each academic cycle.
Coat of arms UAEH. Source: official website of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo
The university has 4 dependent preparatory schools, face-to-face general high schools in Tepeji del Río and Atotonilco de Tula, general high school in the virtual modality, 6 institutes and 9 higher schools.
From this university center, prominent figures from the Mexican political sphere such as Alma Viggiano, María Oralia Vega, Valentín Echavarría Almanza and those who served as governors of Hidalgo in different periods such as Miguel Ángel Osorio, Jesús Murillo Karam or Francisco Olvera Ruiz graduated.
History
The UAEH emblem was created by the teacher Medardo Anaya Armas (1911-1960), who was born on the Tetlapaya ranch, in Apan, Hidalgo state. He was a historian, painter and sculptor recognized not in his hometown, but throughout Mexico.
Among his achievements, it should be noted that he was one of the founders of the first Museum of Anthropology and History, which was located in the old convent of San Francisco.
Between 1940 and 1944, Anaya Armas received a scholarship from the state government, having the opportunity to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. During those years he visited Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany to deepen his knowledge of contemporary art techniques.
Upon his return to Mexico, he devoted himself to teaching imitative drawing and artistic modeling in the two most distinguished educational institutions in the capital of Hidalgo: the Scientific and Literary Institute (ICL) and the Álvaro Obregón Polytechnic School.
In 1948, he was asked to develop a shield representing what would be the Autonomous Literary Scientific Institute (ICLA), a name that replaced the aforementioned Scientific and Literary Institute. The influence of ideas such as liberalism, Pan-Americanism and science, typical of the first half of the 20th century, was reflected in its emblem.
For 1961, together with the creation of the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, the initials ICLA, original of the shield, were replaced by those of UAEH. However, the death of Anaya Armas in 1960 did not allow him to know this transformation of his work, nor the permanence of the symbol as an important part of the identity of that house of studies.
Meaning
The shield is made up of three quarters, which are vertically aligned. They are characterized by containing a great allegorical richness, being able to appreciate about 27 elements in its three sections.
The wing of an eagle, a synthesis of the coat of arms of Mexico, and the national flag seek to convey the development and education that is expanding in the state of Hidalgo. There are also the facade of the central building and a torch that signifies the illumination of conduct and the university as a guide to knowledge.
In the emblem the sciences are represented through a microscope, a mortar, a matrix, a measuring cylinder, three test tubes in a rack and a support with an alcohol lamp. The 5 schools that were operating at that time are also symbolized:
- Two books with the word "lex" (law) and a candlestick, for the Law School.
- A snake coiled around a caduceus or staff of Aesculapius, recognized as icons of health and prosperity, refer to the School of Medicine.
- A candlestick containing a lit candle, which means "light to illuminate the path of teaching", represents the Preparatory and Nursing Schools.
- A compass, two found squares and a theodolite symbolize the School of Industrial Engineering.
You can also see a section of the American continent, which is usually linked to Pan-Americanism. It was a diplomatic, political, economic and social movement that sought to create, promote and order relations, association and cooperation among the states of America.
There are also elements allusive to the region: an inverted ear of wheat referring to wheat production in the Valle del Mezquital area; a mountainous landscape, which represents the Sierra de Pachuca from Tulancingo to Actopa; a mine gallows as a symbol of the mining region in that area.
Finally, the shield has in the lower right corner an hourglass and a series of intertwined scrolls that seek to convey the maturity of the institution. These almost 30 symbols are currently accompanied by the acronym UAEH.
Other symbols
The Central Building, located on Abasolo Street, city of Pachuca, is one of the elements that identifies the university par excellence.
Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo. Source: Marrovi Additionally, the shield developed by Medardo Anaya Armas, together with La Garza (mascot) and the motto "Love, Order and Progress" make up a triad of symbols that today represent the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH) inside and outside its borders.
According to historical accounts, the motto was adopted around 1868, when the building was just being transformed from a hospital to a National Preparatory School.
Under the influence of positivism this educational instance opens its doors, maintaining its motto throughout its evolution: first as the Literary Institute and School of Arts and Crafts (1869), continuing as the Scientific and Literary Institute (1890), then as the Scientific Institute Autonomous Literary (1948) and finally as the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo (UAEH). Today it continues to proclaim its motto, which means Love as the means, Order as the basis and Progress as the end.
With reference to La Garza, little is known about its origins. However, many agree that it was taken from the figure cast in bronze found in the courtyard of the Central Building.
It is said that the current mascot was part of a fountain in the Parque Porfirio Díaz (current Parque Hidalgo) of Pachuca. On one occasion, a group of students removed it to be placed later in their institute. Some, to give a fanciful twist to the anecdote, say that the heron flew to be with the students.
References
- El Independiente de Hidalgo y Luvian, E. (2015, June 7). The shield, a university symbol. Recovered from elindependientedehidalgo.com.mx
- Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo. (sf) University Symbols. Recovered from uaeh.edu.mx
- Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo. (2014, 03 March) Celebrates UAEH 145th anniversary. Recovered from uaeh.edu.mx
- El Independiente de Hidalgo y Luvian, E. (2015, June 7). Medardo Anaya Armas. Man of our time. Recovered from elindependientedehidalgo.com.mx
- Milenio (2014, March 4) UAEH seeks international projection on the occasion of its 145 years of creation. Recovered from milenio.com