Mexico City, October 14, 2025.–With the participation of more than 70 researchers from 19 countries, the Universidad Panamericana Mexico City campus, Mixcoac site, hosted the 12th International Baroque Conference, an academic and cultural forum that, for the first time in more than two decades, was held in Mexico.
Under the theme Religion, Science, and Creativity, the conference, organized by the Universidad Panamericana the Fundación Visión Cultural, sought to explore how the Baroque fused these dimensions to shape identities in Latin America.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Leonardo Ruiz Gómez, dean of the School of Philosophy at the Universidad Panamericana, emphasized the significance of hosting an event of this magnitude at an institution with a humanistic focus.
“The Baroque, a profoundly human movement, resonates with the spirit of our university and with the cultural identity of Mexico, a country with a Baroque essence,”, said the dean.
Baroque: A Living Legacy and Language of Resistance
Over the course of three days, experts from countries such as Spain, Italy, Peru, and Brazil took part in a transdisciplinary dialogue that reimagines the Baroque legacy not as a relic of the past, but as a living language.
Dr. Héctor Zagal and Dr. Virginia Aspe, scholars at the Panamericana University’s School of Philosophy, highlighted the role of the Baroque as a tool for cultural affirmation and resistance. “The New Spanish Baroque was not resignation: it was affirmation. The conquered peoples used its aesthetics to make their voices heard,”, noted Dr. Zagal.
Along the same lines, Norma Campos of the Fundación Visión Cultural emphasized: “The Baroque is not a relic: it is a living code that can inspire the 21st century.”
Cultural activities: previously unseen oil paintings and historical music
The event's program included an exhibition of previously unseen Baroque oil paintings, among them The Baptism of the Magi and The First Communion of the Three Wise Men, works linked to the indigenous nobility of Tlaxcala. The exhibition was curated by Luis Manuel Gómez and Dr. Héctor Zagal.
Similarly, Baroque music concerts were held at the Hellenic Cultural Institute and the Casa del Risco Museum, featuring the Universidad Panamericana Baroque Ensemble Universidad Panamericana the Clérambault Ensemble, who performed French pieces from the 17th and 18th centuries.
A campus steeped in history: Baroque architecture on the walls of the Pan-American Highway
The event took place at the Mixcoac campus of the Mexico City campus, located in a former 18th-century tannery, which added symbolic significance to the gathering.
This heritage site reinforced the Universidad Panamericana 's commitment Universidad Panamericana cultural preservation, academic dialogue, and the promotion of art and history.
Learn more about the Universidad Panamericana : https://www.up.edu.mx/sobre-la-universidad-fundamentos-y-valores/
