This library was founded on November 27, 1946 by president Manuel Avila Camacho, who was accompanied by Jaime Torres Bodet, secretary of Public Education and José Vasconcelos, its first director who occupied the role until his death in 1959.
It’s always filled with students, and like every library it has the stigma that the only people who come here are students doing research or checking out books. But for this same reason, some of its spaces stand out, like La Ciudad de los Libros and workshop spaces, that are almost always dedicated to the promotion of reading.
In order to know the rugged details of this building – constructed toward the end of th 17th century in order to house the Real Fábrica de Tabacos de la Nueva España and then later served as a political prison for the insurgent José María Morelos y Pavón, Parque General de Artillería, ammunition depository, and the scene of the 1913 military uprising – they organize guided visits by setting up an appointment at 41 55 08 00 ext. 3851.