FROM INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY TO RECORDS MANAGEMENT:THE HISTORICAL ARCHIVE OF THE INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO NACIONAL, MEXICO

Abstract

This paper examines the formation process of a historical archive within the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN) of Mexico—an educational institution established in 1936 with the mission of training technicians, professionals, and researchers in engineering and exact sciences. Specifically, this study seeks to understand the motivations behind the creation of this institution’s Historical Archive and the challenges arising from the enactment of the General Archives Law (Ley General de Archivos) in 2019. Utilizing a historical case study approach, the paper argues that the disarticulated management of a historical archive from an institutional archival system precludes the effective documentary preservation of public administration actions.