The numismatic history of the university can be traced to 1778, and its collection of nearly 1,400 medals stands as a testament to important milestones in history. A major portion of this collection can be categorized under the following headings:

Historical Medals

The earliest medals were struck for reasons ranging from the marriage (1555) of Prince Felipe to Queen Mary Tudor of England; the ascension of Charles III (1759) to the Spanish throne issued in 1760; and to commemorate the foundation of the San Carlos Academy (1783), struck in 1778. The Academy of San Carlos itself struck medals in 1808 and 1809 bearing the image of Ferdinand VII, and in 1881 it brought forth the Gil y Mangino Medal to commemorate the one-hundredth anniversary of the School of Fine Arts.

Medals Recognizing Merit

The Justo Sierra Medal is conferred one time only on professors exhibiting outstanding academic achievements. The Gabino Barreda Medal is a similar recognition reserved for students. The University Merit Medal is awarded to professors whose teaching is deemed particularly meritorious. Students whose social service work is judged as singularly exceptional can aspire to the Gustavo Baz Prada Medal. Other persons who are eligible for a medal are academic personnel serving on exam boards, members of the Board of Governors, members of the University Patrons Trust and administrators with at least twenty-five years of service.

Commemorative Medals

These medals have been issued to recollect milestones in the history of the university itself, and include such commemorative themes as the restoration of the Mining Palace in 1977; the 400th anniversary of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico; the Medical School Palace; fifty years (1929-1979) of University autonomy; the 450th anniversary of the first printing press in Mexico; sixty years of University autonomy; fifty years (1939-1989) of the presence of Spanish Civil War exiles in the UNAM, and the 80th anniversary (1910-1990) of the UNAM’s founding as a national institution.