Examinations, contests and award ceremonies in Mexico City and Veracruz during the first two thirds of the 19th century

Abstract

The article details the transformations of three school ceremonies, private examinations, public contests and the "solemn distribution of prizes" in higher education and primary education during the 19th century. It studies four periods that run from the end of the viceroyalty period to the restored Republic, in the geographical areas of Mexico City and Veracruz. The analysis perspective which aims to study the regulation, the inclusion of diverse educational sectors and the emergence of grades to qualify achievement, combines schooling and public ritual. It shows that these ceremonies were effective in consolidating the process of 19th century schooling in central areas such as teacher control, parental cooperation, the inclusion of marginalized sectors, the configuration of mechanisms for grading achievement and the transition from the predominance of orality in education to the written test.