The University of the Americas of Ecuador was founded on November 21, 1995 by Ecuadorian and Chilean academics, through Executive Decree No. 3272. Its statute was approved in May 2001 by the National Council of Higher Education.
The University began its academic activities with two faculties: the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences; and the Faculty of Architecture and Design. In a short time, the academic offerings expanded to include the Faculties and Schools of: Communication and Audiovisual Arts, Law, Engineering and Applied Sciences, Psychology, Gastronomy, Hospitality, Education, Health, Dentistry, and Music.
Since its founding the university has been located first in leased buildings at the Colonia Roma in Mexico City during the 1950s and later on an eight-acre campus on the Mexico-Toluca Road. In the 1970s the university moved to a new campus in the State of Puebla, where it remained until 1985. That year, the Board of Associates decided to move all operations to Mexico City and to separate from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla.
At the present time the university continues its mission as a bilingual (English–Spanish) institution, the only one in Mexico offering general instruction in two languages.
