Institution

National University of San Marcos

1551 · 16th century · Also known as Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos

The National University of San Marcos in Lima, Peru, was founded by a royal decree of Charles V on 12 May 1551 and is regarded as the oldest officially established university in the Americas. Run at first by the Dominicans, it trained clergy, lawyers and officials of the Viceroyalty of Peru, and it remains one of Peru's leading public universities.

National University of San Marcos
Image: Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

QuechuaLegacy

Mentioned in 1 state history

Viceroyalty of Peru

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). National University of San Marcos. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-university-of-san-marcos
MLA
“National University of San Marcos.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-university-of-san-marcos. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “National University of San Marcos.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-university-of-san-marcos.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘National University of San Marcos’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-university-of-san-marcos (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻