The Universidad de las Américas was founded in 1940 by Dr. Henry L. Cain and Dr. Paul V. Murray.

In 1959 the university became, only in that time over the Mexican Republic, a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

In 1967 the Mary Street Jenkins Foundation along with the International Development Agency provided the financial resources to build a new campus in the municipality of San Andres Cholula, Puebla.

In 1968 the university decided to change its name to its Spanish translation "Universidad de las Américas".

The Universidad de las Américas moved to its new campus in the city of Cholula, Puebla in 1970.

The Institute of Advanced Studies was created in 1986 and in 1988 the School of Humanities and Social Sciences became two separate entities.

The CAIL, Language Learning and Research Complex (Conjunto para el Aprendizaje e Investigación en Lenguas) was finished in 2005.

[3] It is housed in a historical 1910s Art Nouveau style commercial building, originally constructed for the exclusive department store La Ciudad de México, and later housing another Mexican department store, Fábricas de Francia.

However UDLAP is one of the few private universities in the country to invest a reasonable amount of resources in research.

They oversee several subjects at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, facilitating students' involvement in research projects beginning in the first semesters.

The university was chosen as the site of the third Spanish Real Madrid youth overseas soccer school, and started activities on 7 February 2005.

He has participated in the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988 and in Barcelona 1992, the World Athletics Championship Tokyo 1991, and other international competitions.

Current teams representing UDLAP in national tournaments include: Besides being accredited by the Secretaría de Educación Pública (federal Secretariat of Education), the Universidad de las Américas is also accredited by:[7] The following is a list of some of the Honoris Causa Degrees awarded by the Universidad de las Américas: UDLAP offers a wide range of on-campus events such as academic, cultural and sporting events, which are open to both students and the local community.