1968 Mexico Student Movement (Lindsey Salas)

Mexico City was selected to host the 1968 Summer Olympics, in which the country's president poured vast economic resources into preparations for the Olympics while neglecting and hiding the growing social unrest and discontent in the country. In July of 1968, students at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and other institutions rallied together against the government and President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, calling for greater democratic freedoms, an end to political repression, and improvements in education and social conditions. The movement gained momentum as students and activists called out the government’s militarism, corruption, and neglect of civil liberties.

The National Strike Council (Consejo Nacional de Huelga, or CNH), made up of student leaders and representatives from different universities across Mexico, played an important role in organizing and leading the 1968 Mexican student movement. The CNH’s role in organizing the protests remain symbols of student activism and the struggle for democracy in Mexico.

Celebrate People's History!
An original podcast created for LAST 495W with Dr. Hannah Burdette, Spring 2025