Early history During the General Studies carried out in the cloisters of the Convent of the Rosario of the Order of Santo Domingo—current
Basilica and Convento de Santo Domingo—on July 1, 1548, The university began to function officially on January 2, 1553. They asked the Royal Court for compliance with the
Royal decree of 1570. The university moved to its second location, near the outskirts of San Marcelo, where the Convent of the
Order of Saint Augustine had previously operated. later the canons of Law and Medicine would be created. On November 27, 1579, the professors asked
King Philip II for the institution of jurisdiction that governed the
University of Salamanca. In 1581, Viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo authorized clerics and laymen to be elected.
1700s to 1900s The support for the secularization of the University of San Marcos was given by
Viceroy Francisco Álvarez de Toledo. It was also exercised by the rector of the
Royal Convictory of San Carlos. on September 20, 1822.|left The University of San Marcos became part of the current
Republic of Peru since its independence in 1821. The
First Constituent Congress of Peru was initially chaired by the former rector of the University of San Marcos,
Toribio Rodríguez de Mendoza; of the 64 constituent deputies, 54 were San Marcos's alumnus and Carolines's. In 1822, the university handed over its collection of 50,000 books to form the National Library of Peru. In 1840, the Colleges of San Carlos and San Fernando are taken over by the University of San Marcos. San Marcos was empowered by the then President
Ramón Castilla to approve new universities and control the newly created ones. Once the war ended, by law of 1901, it is stated that Peruvian university education corresponds to the National University of San Marcos and the minor universities of
Trujillo, Cusco, and Arequipa, which were later joined by the
Catholic University of Lima and technical schools. In 1946, the university's name was made official as the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. In 1951, as a commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of the University of San Marcos, the university acquires a new piece of land to build the new
University City, where the
Stadium of the University of San Marcos was inaugurated that same year. A ceremony was also held that brought together the rectors of the main Ibero-American universities, who decided to give her the title of "Dean of America". Due to this, the university has retained the names of the
University of Peru and the
Dean of the Americas. The conference was transferred to the
Catholic University of Lima. In the mid-1960s, several faculties of the university began to move to the Ciudad Universitaria site, where 17 of the 20 faculties are currently located. On September 22, 1984, the current statute of the university was promulgated. It had nearly 40,000 students and more than 4,000 faculty. In 2010, a
Nobel Prize was awarded to
Mario Vargas Llosa, a students of the University of San Marcos. As a tribute, on March 30, 2011, the university distinguished Vargas Llosa with its highest decoration: the San Marcos Medal of Honor in the degree of
Grand Cross. The ceremony was held in the Casona de San Marcos. In 2019, the university awards a doctoral degree based on a thesis written and defended entirely in Quechua.
University symbols Since its foundation until 1574, the first official shield showed an image of the
Virgen del Rosario, considered the patron saint of the Dominican friars; on the right, a representation of the
Pacific Ocean; and below a lime—fruit, referring to the city of Lima. The coat of arms was approved by King Charles I of Spain in 1551. By the end of 1570, after the papal bull of
Pius V, the coat of arms was modified, replacing the image of the Virgen del Rosario with that of the new patron of the university, the apostle
Saint Mark and the
Lion. For the coat of arms, the documents about them in the century were black and white. It was not until 1929 that the colors, blue for the 'ocean', black or brown for the image of the saint, light blue for the background, and silver for the columns, became used. The second original shield with the image of San Marcos has been the longest-lasting symbol of the university. In 1929, the original colors were officially introduced: blue for the 'ocean', black or brown for the image of the saint, light blue for the background, and silver for the columns.
Flag In ancient manuscripts, it was indicated that the university's official banner was composed of major shields centered on a white background; this description gave rise to the appearance of banners and flags of the university that followed these patterns during the 17th to 19th centuries. Although the use of a white flag with the shield of the university in the center had already been generalized, its use was recently made official through a rectoral resolution on June 14, 2010.
Anthem The university anthem is regularly performed at special ceremonies and anniversaries of the University of San Marcos, mainly by the University Choir. The lyrics of the anthem were 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. Among them are the Royal Certificate by which King Charles I of Spain authorized the foundation of the university in 1551, and the Quipu found in the Huaca San Marcos. ==Organization==