Casa Matemática Oaxaca

Casa Matemática Oaxaca
Name	Casa Matemática Oaxaca
Native name	Casa Matemática Oaxaca A.C.
Established	2017
Location	Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
Type	Science museum, mathematics outreach center
Director	Javier García Gutiérrez
Website	Official website

Casa Matemática Oaxaca Casa Matemática Oaxaca is a nonprofit mathematics outreach center and museum located in Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico. Founded in 2017, the center promotes mathematical culture through interactive exhibits, workshops, publications, and community projects that connect local, national, and international audiences. It operates as an independent civil association engaging with educational institutions, cultural organizations, and governmental programs across Mexico and beyond.

History

Casa Matemática Oaxaca was founded by a team of mathematicians and educators inspired by international initiatives such as Mathematics Museum movements, with connections to figures and organizations like Cédric Villani, Marcus du Sautoy, Maryam Mirzakhani, Adrien Douady, and institutions such as Museum of Mathematics (MoMath), Science Museum, London, Musée des Arts et Métiers, and National Museum of Mathematics. Its establishment drew support from Mexican institutions including Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Universidad de Guadalajara, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, and local entities like Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca and Municipio de Oaxaca de Juárez. Early collaborations involved visiting scholars from University of Oxford, Princeton University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, École Normale Supérieure, and Carnegie Mellon University. The center’s programs were influenced by pedagogical models and exhibitions developed at Exploratorium, Eureka! The National Children’s Museum, Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, and Science World British Columbia, while participating in regional events such as Festival Internacional de las Culturas and Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia.

Mission and Educational Programs

The organization’s mission aligns with outreach strategies promoted by entities like UNESCO, UNICEF, OECD, Secretaría de Educación Pública, SEP Oaxaca, and Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes y Literatura to expand mathematical literacy among diverse populations. Programs target audiences from early childhood through adult learners with offerings inspired by curricula and research from Common Core State Standards Initiative, Programme for International Student Assessment, TIMSS, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and pedagogues associated with Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, Seymour Papert, Maria Montessori, and Jerome Bruner. Casa Matemática Oaxaca runs teacher training in partnership with universities like Tecnológico de Monterrey, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, and Instituto Politécnico Nacional, and contributes to projects funded by organizations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Ford Foundation, BBVA Foundation, and MacArthur Foundation.

Exhibits and Activities

Exhibits and activities reflect influences from exhibits at MoMath, Exploratorium, Science Museum (London), and traveling exhibitions like Mathematics: A Stringently Visual History and collaborations with artists and mathematicians including Sol LeWitt, Manuel Tolsá, Olga Kosheleva, John Conway, Roger Penrose, H.S.M. Coxeter, Paul Erdős, Álvaro Obregón (sculptor), and contemporary collectives. Signature offerings include interactive installations on topology, symmetry, tessellations, fractals, knot theory, combinatorics, probability, and geometry inspired by works from M. C. Escher, Henri Poincaré, Benoît Mandelbrot, Felix Klein, and Ada Lovelace. Regular activities feature workshops, public lectures, math circles, puzzle evenings, coding labs, and teacher seminars with guest lecturers from University of California, Berkeley, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Toronto, University of Chicago, Yale University, and international partners like Institut Henri Poincaré and Mathematical Association of America.

Architecture and Facilities

Housed in a restored colonial-era building typical of Oaxaca de Juárez’s historic center, the facility balances heritage conservation practices championed by ICOMOS and architectural restoration guided by specialists affiliated with Benito Juárez Municipality and academic programs at Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca. Spaces include galleries, a makerspace, a theater for conferences and film screenings, classrooms for pedagogy, a library and archive collection referencing works from Euclid, Isaac Newton, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Leonhard Euler, Évariste Galois, and modern monographs, as well as accessible features developed with input from UNESCO World Heritage Centre and local artisans linked to Zapotec and Mixtec communities. The site hosts temporary exhibitions and residencies, with facilities suitable for conferences modeled after venues at Universidad Iberoamericana and cultural centers like Centro Cultural Helénico.

Community Outreach and Partnerships

The center maintains partnerships with local schools, indigenous community organizations, municipal cultural programs, and national networks including Red de Museos Estatales, Sistema Nacional de Creadores de Arte, and academic consortia such as Red de Matemáticas para la Innovación. Collaborations extend to international mathematical outreach groups like Math Circles USA, International Mathematical Union, European Mathematical Society, American Mathematical Society, and NGOs such as Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú. Community projects emphasize bilingual Spanish–indigenous programming connecting with Instituto Nacional de Lenguas Indígenas, and collaborations with artists and cultural institutions including Instituto de Artes Gráficas de Oaxaca, Museo Rufino Tamayo, Museo de las Culturas de Oaxaca, Museo Textil de Oaxaca, and festivals such as Guelaguetza.

Recognition and Impact

Casa Matemática Oaxaca has been recognized by regional and national bodies including awards and mentions from Secretaría de Cultura, Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and international citations from organizations like UNESCO. Impact assessments cite increases in student engagement linked with evaluations modeled on PISA and collaborations with research groups at CINVESTAV and Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN. The center’s approach has been spotlighted in media outlets and academic forums associated with Nature, Science, The New York Times, BBC Mundo, and educational conferences such as ICME and Joint Mathematics Meetings.

Category:Museums in Oaxaca