Instituto Cultural Tampico

The Instituto Cultural Tampico (ICT) is a private college founded in 1962 by the Society of Jesus in the city of Tampico, Mexico. Provides basic and middle education validated by the Secretaría de Educación Pública, and higher education affiliated with the Universidad Autónoma de México (UNAM) in accordance with the curriculum of Colegio de Ciencias y Humanidades (CCH).

1995 Zapatista Crisis

It was famous in Mexico and the US because of a former pupil, Rafael Sebastián Guillén Vicente, whom the Mexican government alleges to be the guerrilla leader Subcomandante Marcos. This theory gain much traction At the end of 1994, after the dissident Zapatista Comandante Salvador Morales Garibay gived to the Mexican Government the identity of his former fellow Zapatistas among them Subcomandante Marcos identity. »[1] And the direct intervention of Rafael Guillén, colleague at the Instituto Cultural Tampico. His childhood friend Max Appedole play a major roll with the Mexican Government to avoid a Military solution to the Zapatista crisis in 1995. »[2] when the Mexican government revealed his identity by demonstrating that Subcomandante Marcos was no terrorist. Max Appedole recognized his literary style in all his manifestos that where published in the media, linked them to their literary tournaments organized by the Jesuit Schools in Mexico, in which they competed in Mexico. Confirming that he had no doubt that Subcomandante Marcos was his friend Rafael Guillén, a pacifist. Max Appedole asked for help from Eden Pastora "Commander Zero" of Nicaragua, to prepare a report for Mexico under Secretary of the Interior Luis Maldonado Venegas; to Mexico Secretary of the Interior Esteban Moctezuma and the Mexico President Ernesto Zedillo about Subcomandante Marcos natural pacifist vocation and the terrible consequences of a tragic outcome. »[3] Luis Maldonado Venegas achieved with the Subcomandante Marcos the re-initiation of the Dialog and all the necessary agreements in accordance with the law to start the formal Peace Talks dialog between the Zapatista Army of National Liberation and the Mexican government. The charismatic leader of the Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional the Marcos led the zapatistas to leave arms a side and start the dialog for peace agreements with the Mexican Government. Time showed that the fight against a military solution to the conflict and the strategy to achieve a peaceful solution to the 1995 Zapatista Crisis was legal, politically and honorably correct, saving many lives in Mexico. »[4]

Instituto Cultural Tampico
Motto Duc in Altum "Put out into deep water "
Established 1962
Type Private
Affiliations Catholic, Jesuit
Principal Carlos Velasco Arzac, S.J.
Students 3,000
Grades 1–12
Location Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Colors Gray and Maroon
Mascot Wolf
Website ICT

Foundation

It was founded by a group of parents who attended several religious groups to create a college that would continue the catholic education given to their children at other private colleges of that time. It was the Jesuits who acceded to this request, under the direction of the priest Federico Chavez Peón, S.J. ensuring that the then inspector of the Province of Mexico, Lawrence O'Neill, S.J. processed and obtained approval from Rome.

The college is dedicated to the memory of San Luis Gonzaga, an Italian Jesuit beatified by Paul V on October 19, 1605 and canonized on December 13, 1726 by Benedict XIII, who declared him patron of youth.

The Instituto Cultural Tampico was first located in an old house in the Altavista district. It began operations in September 1962, with only a dozen male students to attend the first year. Gradually, more and more students joined every year, until all six high school grades were completed. Although, at the beginning the school accepted males only, years later females were accepted as well.

In the early 70's the ICT changed its facilities to a new campus at Avenida Universidad, where it is now.[5]

Today

Today, the Instituto Cultural Tampico teaches Kindergarten, Elementary and Highschool, morning shift. Males and females may join, and it accepts any non-catholic students, which provides a rich diversity among the students and teachers.

Parents who acted as promoters of this project organized forming a board called "Impulsora Cultural A.C." who legally owns and operates the school. As most of the schools inspired on catholic education, the religious subjets taught at the ICT are not part of the official curriculum (SEP), instead they are handled as extracurricular. Its facilities house fifty classrooms, several auditoriums, a chapel, a theater, computer classrooms, a cafeteria, four laboratories, sport courts, and parking lots including an underground lot.

Praying House Villa Manresa

Named in memory of a town in Cataluña, Spain, where Ignatius of Loyola developed the Spiritual Exercises, the Villa Manresa was founded in 1982 by the sixth principal of the institute, Jose Quezada Guadeloupe S.J. in order to serve as a retreat house, where the community of the institute could conduct their activities in reflection, spiritual exercises, retreats and other general courses. It houses a chapel, auditorium, classrooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, kitchen, basic services and gardens. In each grade, students go to encounter god in different activities in their lives.

Relevance

The importance of this Institution lies on the regional influence of their activities (social service, charity works, legal assistance to immigrants, retreats and conferences) and more over, in the important networks of ex-alumni formed from ICT or any other Jesuit College. In every thing we do we use the 5 institutional values:

According to the watchlists carried by ex-alumni, thousands of them are actively engaged in various tasks ranging from religious activism to social discussion forums that have nothing to do with religion. Other ten thousands of graduates from all Jesuit colleges often create and maintain ties of brotherhood for life without carrying out any religious or social work.

Those who do remain within the Catholic movement, are often grouped into different organizations under the symbol ASIA (Antiqui Societatis Iesu Alumni) a Latin term which could be translated as "former student of the Society of Jesus."

In either case, these organizations are independent of the Institute and of the Company, are not part of its structure or are funded by them in any way.[6]

References

  1. ↑ «El otro subcomandante»
  2. ↑ «Tampico la la conexión zapatista»
  3. ↑ «Marcos en la mira de Zedillo»
  4. ↑ «Renuncia en Gobernación »
  5. ↑ Palomera, Esteban J.: La obra educativa de los jesuitas en Tampico, 1962-1987, ICT, México, 1990. ISBN 968-859-036-3.
  6. ↑ http://www.ict.edu.mx

External links

Coordinates: 22°15′56″N 97°51′36″W / 22.2655°N 97.8599°W

((Tampico, Tamaulipas, México))