Mexico

Mexico was undoubtedly the country that drew the greatest benefit from the exile of Spanish intellectuals, thanks to the warm welcome which President Lázaro Cárdenas offered Spanish republicans. Institutions such as the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, el Fondo de Cultura Económica and El Colegio de México had, and still have, an important connection with the lives and works of the Spanish refugees. In fact, the immediate predecessor of El Colegio de México was the Casa de España, created in the summer of 1938 by the Mexican president. The non-university education centres linked to the ‘institucionistas’ also were, and still are, significant, such as the Colegio Madrid, el Instituto Luis Vives and the Academia Hispano-Mexicana, to name those found in the Federal District. All have had a played a significant part in the development and education of distinguished creators, artists and scientists, and their subsequent works.

José Moreno Villa, El árbol de las joyas, hacia 1938. Óleo sobre lienzo. Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid.