University Militarized Sports Pentathlon

The University Militarized Sports Pentathlon (PDMU) is a militarized civil organization of nationalist ideology, emerged in 1938 in Mexico City as an initiative of Gustavo Baz Prada, who one day before being named rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). , on June 20 of that year, brought together twelve students from the Faculty of Medicine in a cafeteria near the University, calling them together and exchanging impressions about what they considered "demoralization of Mexican youth," caused internally by the ruin in which they lived. The country found itself, just after the Revolution and the conflicts derived from the establishment of the new political order, and externally, due to the proximity of the Second World War. Transmitting to them the idea of ​​forming a group or institution that had nationalist, sporting principles and with a military discipline, beginning instructional work on July 9, 1938, what was then called the University Military Sports Pentathlon (PDMU) was born.

The PDMU has been independent since its origins from any civil or political power, as well as from any religious or political-social ideology, both as an institution and as a right of its members. Despite its militarized discipline and structure, as well as its admiration and respect for the regular Armed Forces of Mexico, the PDMU is neither a paramilitary body nor a branch of the Mexican Army. Although the latter formally recognizes the existence of the former as a "military school", it does not have direct authority over its commanders or its members; It can only issue recommendations based on circumstantial needs.

## History

Currently there are several texts referring to the history of the University Pentathlon. In the Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico there are four theses on the University Pentathlon. Curiously, the first two are Architecture theses on projects for new facilities for the institution. The first of these theses simply bears the title of University Military Sports Pentathlon and was carried out in 1955 by Carlos Burciaga M. and Otilio López C. to respectively obtain their degrees in Architect. The second thesis found at UNAM is titled Facilities for the University Military Sports Pentathlon and was carried out by Guillermo Sánchez Robles in 1965 in the same way to obtain the title of Architect.

There are magazines that were initially published by the Recruit School called "Pentathlon", beginning the publication in 1958 and later by the Organization and Propaganda Section of the General Staff, which contribute to the work carried out by the PDMU since its foundation until those years.

On the other hand, there is an audio recording of the talk given by doctor-surgeon Jorge Jiménez Cantú in 1952\* at the PDMU Headquarters and addressed to the Recruit School, with the title History and Laws of the University Military Sports Pentathlon . This recording is in 33 rpm format on aluminum discs.

The shorthand version of the recording is found in Chronicles of the University Militarized Sports Pentathlon, narrated by those who lived through the moment, in the section "Semblance of the founders of the PDMU" and in the section corresponding to Jorge Jiménez Cantú under the title of (Dissertation on the History and Laws of the Pentathlon to the members of the Recruit School in the year 1950\*.).

We can also find another important contribution to the history of this institution made by Dr. Julián Gascón Mercado that bears the title of Some historical notes of the Boarding School Section "B" published in 1993.

Likewise, there is the work carried out by Dr. Jorge Hernández Ibarra who dedicated the last years of his life to writing the Chronicles of the University Militarized Sports Pentathlon, narrated by those who lived at the time. This valuable work is only published in its digital version for 2014, the year in which the author died.

Finally, a third thesis titled History of the University Militarized Sports Pentathlon (1938-1988) is located in the UNAM Central Library, prepared by Eduardo Emiliano Zapata González in 2014, to obtain a bachelor's degree in Sociology.

### Fundation

At six in the morning on July 9, 1938, on a street adjacent to the old National Stadium, twelve students from the Faculty of Medicine of the UNAM school met, driven by a common disagreement with what they considered to be prevailing circumstances in his generation: "Egoism, poverty of ideals, sterile skepticism and pedantry" (according to the foundation's official account). His desire was to bring together the best wills, to build a "prosperous and strong" Homeland (idem.). The founders of the institution called the University Military Sports Pentathlon were:

* Luis Sáenz Arroyo
* Jorge Jiménez Cantú
* Carlos Retteg Solano
* Andrés Luna Castro
* Alfonso de Icaza e Icaza,
* Ginés Navarro Díaz de León
* Fidel Ruiz Moreno
* José Urbano Blanchet Ceceña
* Ángel Pérez Aragón
* Joaquín de la Torre
* Braulio Peralta Rodríguez
* Carlos Niño de Rivera
* In addition to the lieutenant colonel of the Mexican Army
* Gonzalo Hidalgo (first instructor)

Their practices were daily, at dawn, and their example soon spread throughout the Mexican geography: a year after it was founded (1939), the PDMU already had a presence in the State of Mexico, Puebla, Querétaro, Jalisco and Coahuila.

Self-discipline, voluntarily accepted by the initiators, was of a military nature, since, in their view, it trained in obedience and command; It improves and makes the will quicker and stronger, and guides aggressiveness, nuanced with the notions of nobility, honor, sacrifice and intimate conviction of duty.

### General Commanders of the University Pentathlon

The national heads of the Institution called the University Military Sports Pentathlon were:

* Carlos Retteg Solano,
* Jorge Jiménez Cantú,
* José Urbano Blanchet Ceceña,
* Rafael Izquierdo Ibáñez,
* Marcelo Mendoza Parada,
* Armando León Bejarano,
* José Urbano Blanchet Ceceña,
* Manlio Hernández Hernández,
* Jorge Hernández Ibarra,
* Jorge Gilling Cabrera,
* Sergio Álvarez Castro,
* Isauro Martínez Gálvez,
* Ignacio Espinoza Ortega,
* Rafael Nava y Uribe,
* Roberto Hernández Jones,
* Ángel Gütiérrez González

In addition to the current national head of the PDMU

## Ideology

From the beginning, the maximum purpose of the PDMU has been "The Greatness of the Homeland" and it instills in its members the search for great humanist ideals both morally, physically and intellectually. It is governed by a Pentalogue, which are the five basic rules that its pentathletes want to keep in mind always and everywhere, represented on the shield by five stars, at the foot of a double-headed eagle that symbolizes, in order, the eagle of the National Shield of Mexico and the eagle on the UNAM shield; in another, the union of complementary human powers: reason and faith, emotion and intellect, etc.

The PDMU condenses its goals and the means to achieve them in the motto "Homeland, Honor and Strength."

The ideological body of the PDMU rests primarily on the Pentalogue; The Anthem and the most important documents of the organization are based on this: the Ideology,3​ the Message to the Minor Pentathlon4​ and the Message to the Women's Pentathlon.5

## Organization

In general, the hierarchical and geographical structure of the PDMU is homologous to that of the regular Mexican Army; with the particularities noted below.

### Structure of the national PDMU

The structure of the PDMU is based on the Mexican Armed Forces and consists of two parts or large bodies:

* **Active,** the members who regularly participate in the realization of the institutional postulates through military, humanistic and sports training as well as the specific tasks that have been assigned to them ("commissions"). The Asset is composed in this way:

1. Pentathlon boss
2. Deputy Head of the Pentathlon
3. General Staff
4. Court of Honor
5. Instructors
6. Commanders
7. Officials
8. Classes
9. Cadets
10. Recruits
11. Zone Pentathlon
12. Minor Pentathlon
13. Women's Pentathlon

* Reserves and honorary members, those who are not qualified to carry out the activities of the asset.

## Awards and honours

* **Incorporation into Federated Sports**. On May 18, 1988, the Mexican Sports Confederation and the PDMU signed an agreement of collaboration and reciprocal support, one of the greatest recognitions to which the institution had aspired.
* **National Sports Award**, awarded to the PDMU in 1995 by the Mexican Federal Government, a unique fact for being the first time that this recognition has been given to an institution.
* **1999 State Youth Award in Civic Merits**, by the state of Yucatán, awarded on December 20, 2000 to the PDMU Zona Yucatán, for its career and promotion of National Symbols.
* **State Youth Award**, by the government of the State of Oaxaca, in 2006
* **State Award for Citizen Merit**, by the government of the State of Oaxaca, in 2008
* **State Sports Award**, by the government of the State of Mexico.
* **State Sports Award**, by the government of the State of Durango.
* **State Sports Award**, by the government of the State of Veracruz, in 2013
* **Municipal Sports Award 2014**, by the government of the Municipality of Córdoba, in 2015.
* **State Volunteer Award for Coahuila 2015**, awarded by the State government in the City of Saltillo, to the Acuña Sub-Zone.
* **State Sports Award**, by the government of the State of Sinaloa, in 2016.