The school was founded in 1540 in Pátzcuaro by Vasco de Quiroga. It moved to Valladolid, merging with the school in San Miguel. Miguel Hidalgo was a student, teacher, treasurer, and rector at this school. In 1790, Morelos began his ecclesiastical career. It was closed by the viceregal government in 1810 as a result of the independence movement. In 1847, it resumed its educational work as a secular institution, becoming the predecessor of the Universidad Michoacana.