Angélica Velázquez Promotes New Leadership in Latin American Art

Art historian Angélica Rocío Velázquez Guadarrama assumed a second term as director of the Institute of Aesthetic Research (IIE) for the 2025-2029 academic year. During the ceremony, she expressed her commitment to consolidating the Institute as a benchmark in Latin American art studies. She stated that the challenge was to position the institution among the regional academic leaders.

The researcher reported that the IIE would develop a general publication on the history of Latin American art. She detailed that the "Beatriz de la Fuente" and "Ida Rodríguez" professorships would be offered, focused on the analysis of the arts in Latin America. She mentioned that the graduate program in Art History would incorporate new projects focused on the art of the continent.

During her swearing-in ceremony, held before the Humanities Coordinator, Miguel Armando López Leyva, the director reaffirmed her commitment to the academic community. He stated that he would promote the necessary administrative and legal procedures to strengthen the Institute's projects. He assured that he would work to consolidate cooperation between researchers and departments at the IIE.

Institutional and Academic Consolidation

At the official ceremony held in the Francisco de la Maza Hall, López Leyva defined the priorities for the new period. He indicated that the institution should establish itself as a symbol of identity for Latin America. He emphasized the importance of strengthening the institutional stability that had been recovered in recent years.

The official emphasized the need to expand the dissemination of academic works through digital publications. He explained that the Institute should open itself to innovative publishing formats and strengthen its international reach. He emphasized that communication among colleagues would be essential to maintaining an integrated and active community.

Director Velázquez agreed that academic exchange would allow for the development of new lines of research. She emphasized that the IIE should become a space for interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced training. She added that a policy of openness toward the country's cultural institutions would be maintained.

Education and Professional Career

Angélica Rocío Velázquez Guadarrama earned her PhD in Art History from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in 2016. She also earned her master's degree in 2009 from the same institution and her bachelor's degree in Art History from the Universidad Iberoamericana in 1994. She holds a specialty in Women's Studies from El Colegio de México.

She joined the Institute of Aesthetic Research in 1991, where she served as a full-time "B" senior researcher. Her work focused on the study of 19th-century art, public sculpture, and female representations. She belongs to the National System of Researchers at level I and holds PRIDE D recognition.

The academic coordinated the seminar "Art, Architecture, and Visual Culture of the 19th Century" as part of the project "Public Monuments in Mexico City, 1803-1913." Her research analyzed the symbolic construction of monuments and their role in national identity. In this context, she delved into the relationship between art, politics, and historical memory.

Academic Work and Teaching

Her main publications include The Painting Collection of the National Bank of Mexico: 19th Century, Female Representations in 19th-Century Painting in Mexico, and Primitivo Miranda and the Visual Construction of Liberalism. She also compiled the Catalog of the Painting Collection of the National Bank of Mexico: 19th Century. Her books have been published by prestigious academic institutions.

Since 2002, Velázquez has taught in the Modern Art Department of the Graduate Program in Art History at UNAM. In 2007, she joined the History Department of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters as a professor. She also developed academic activities at national and international universities, consolidating a wide-ranging teaching career.

She was a professor at the Benito Juárez Autonomous University of Oaxaca, the Autonomous University of the State of Hidalgo, the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosí, and the Ibero-American University. She also taught courses at the National University of San Marcos in Lima and the University of Toulouse. Her experience strengthened the Institute's international academic ties.
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