Mexico, Science Communication in

The public communication of science has a long tradition in Mexico. As far back as the colonial period in the 17th century, the Mexican scientist and historian Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora published a pamphlet in which he set forth scientific arguments to demonstrate that comets were a natural phenomenon, with nothing supernatural about them. The first scientific journals in New Spain, the Diario Literario de México and the Mercurio Volante, came out in the 18th century.

The public communication of science has been primarily linked to Mexico's universities and research institutes. Some projects, however, have been undertaken through the private initiatives of scientists, communicators, and investigators working either individually or in groups. This tradition has found its main outlet in print publications, especially books ...