The UW León Center at Palacio del Conde Luna acknowledges that it is housed in a tower built in the 1570s with wealth accumulated, in part, by Spanish colonizer Hernán Cortés. Under the Spanish crown in the early 16th Century, Cortés committed genocide and enslaved Indigenous people throughout Abya Yala/the Americas. The Center recognizes the negative responses these connections may bring up for Native people, and for students, faculty, and staff with roots in regions seized and pillaged by the Spanish Empire.
This acknowledgment strives to meet the intentions of the University of Washington’s Diversity Blueprint, which includes among its goals the development of “place-based education and engagement to advance access, equity, and inclusion.”
For teaching resources on the Palacio and decolonized approaches to study abroad in León, please see these resources: Decolonizing Teaching Resources (uwnetid authorized access only)