Partners
A small bilingual school in Mexico City doing something worth paying attention to.
Orígenes International Schoolhouse is a K-6 microschool in Tlaxpana, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City. We opened in 2023 with a founding cohort of eight students — small by design. We teach primarily in English, across multi-age groups, using classical methods: Socratic discussion, project-based problem solving, mastery-paced instruction, and a daily block of student-directed learning.
We are not a conventional school. That is precisely why we may be useful to you.
At a glance
Three ways to collaborate
Childhood independence & self-directed learning
For organizations promoting childhood independence
Every school day at Orígenes includes a dedicated self-directed learning block — no teacher direction, student-chosen projects, multi-age peer collaboration. This practice is structurally aligned with independence-based education movements, and it is happening in Spanish-speaking Latin America, where this work is rare and largely undocumented.
We are open to endorsement relationships, co-authored content, and joint documentation of our practice for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Research & academia
For researchers, universities, and ERC-affiliated scholars
Orígenes is a small, accessible fieldsite in Mexico City. Our bilingual, multi-age, classical classroom is available for observation, data collection, and collaborative research — particularly in language acquisition, self-directed learning, and the application of classical pedagogy in a non-Western urban context.
We welcome co-authorship proposals, open data agreements, and visiting researcher arrangements.
History of education
For institutions working in the history of education
Mexico adopted Joseph Lancaster's monitorial method in 1822 through the Compañía Lancasteriana, which operated in Mexico City through much of the 19th century. Orígenes practices multi-age peer learning today — a living descendant of that tradition, now paired with bilingual immersion and classical methods.
We are interested in collaborative projects — written, digital, or otherwise — that document and celebrate this pedagogical lineage across geographies.
Who we are
Alan Arriaga Robles
Co-founder & Head of School
Alan holds an MS in Communication from Northwestern University and an MBA from IPADE Business School. Besides acting as the Head of School at Origenes, he also teaches Mathematics, Earth Sciences, Computer Science, and Health Sciences at Faith International University in Tacoma, Washington, and is a partner at Alce Alce Consultores, an AI adoption consulting firm serving Latin American organizations.
Orígenes is his attempt to build the school he always wished had existed.
LinkedIn →Get in touch
If you are a researcher, educator, institution, or organization interested in what we are building, we would like to hear from you.
We respond within 3 business days.