A Dawning Light
The plaque on this building states that this was the first "light of science in the new world", in other words, the first university- founded in 1538 (but not formally recognized by royal decree until 1558)(Source). There is some controversy around this claim, but I'll leave that international quarrel aside. Let us just say that it is very very old, as far as far as continental American history goes.
Built only a few decades after arrival in 1492, it is fascinating how the Spanish placed so much emphasis on organized knowledge (art, theology, science, etc) even at this early stage of the colonization period. It is truly amazing when put in its historical context. The university was modeled after the University of Alcalá in Spain. (Source)
Imagine that. One day, in a steamy hot prehistoric jungle, it's just BAM! Time to hit the books, boys and girls. We got some learning to do.
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STOPWhat a wonderful historic place, I love it!
It's awe inspiring. Knowledge is powerful 💪
🤗😃
Thank you very much for the curation @jlinaresp!
I looked it up...the University of Alcala was (is) quite a place. Some of the most important names in Spanish literature are associated with it, including Cervantes. Must have been some erudite missionaries that founded the university here (I looked that up, also 😇).
Impressive building. I love it when a post sends me reading and learning.
That's really neat. They were dealing with some deep questions during this period on the nature of humanity and spirituality, along with matters of art and science. It's great to experience this history in the architecture. Thank you for sharing, @agmoore.