The Cultural Center "La Casona" of San Marcos (acronym: CCSM), is the main historical venue of the university. Founded as the headquarters of the Jesuit novitiate of San Antonio Abad, it became the headquarters of the university in 1861, remaining as such until the middle of the 20th century, when the university moved to its current campus in Ciudad Universitaria. After its recent restoration, the "Casona" is the main reference point for the cultural and artistic activity of the University, and one of the best-preserved buildings from the colonial era in the city of Lima. It is one of the main tourist attractions of the Historic Center of Lima. The complex is part of the area and the list of buildings in the historic center of the capital that in 1988 was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The history of the Casona goes back to the year 1605 when Antonio Correa Ureña gave the Jesuits an important donation for the construction of their novitiate or probation house. In the early years, the complex consisted only of a chapel and two courtyards. After its destruction by the 1746 earthquake, it was rebuilt by the Jesuits following the same layout as before. It would remain like this until 1767 when the Jesuit order was expelled from the Viceroyalty of Peru, and it became the location of the Real Convictorio de San Carlos. In 1821, after the independence of Peru was proclaimed, the Casona complex became the main premises of the University of San Marcos, then reaching its maximum splendor. The general hall of the Casona had historical importance as the location of the first Constituent Congress of Peru at the time of independence, in addition to witnessing the events of the War of the Pacific with the Chilean invasion in Lima and the destruction and appropriation of several of its collections. Since the transfer of the university, the Casona remained a place of great historical value and importance not only for the university but for the city, which is why in 1989 the National University of San Marcos, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) and the National Institute of Culture sign a Peru-Spain agreement to achieve the restoration of the architectural complex and adapting it to new use as a space dedicated to culture, research, and artistic creation. Currently, the Casona, as the Cultural Center of San Marcos, offers