Anáhuac means "near the water" in Nahuatl, the ancient Aztec language spoken in Tenochtitlan, which used to be the biggest and most crowded place in what is now Mexico City, the home of the university.

It is made up of universities at an international level with ten institutions in Mexico, one in Chile, one in Spain, two in Italy and two more in United States.

The North Campus (subsequently Universidad Anahuac Mexico Norte) emerged in 1964 as a key element in the educational project of the Legionaries of Christ and the founding of the congregation by Father Marcial Maciel LC.

Activities started in a house located in Lomas Virreyes and enrolled forty-eight students in two degrees: Business Administration and Economics.

Under the stewardship of Father Faustino Pardo LC, opened in the following years: Psychology and Human Sciences in 1965, Architecture and Law in 1966.