Texas A&M International University began in 1970 as an upper-division branch of Texas A&I in Laredo, serving juniors, seniors, and graduate students in borrowed space. After joining the Texas A&M System and taking its present name in 1993, it opened this campus in north Laredo in 1995, billed at the time as the first new university campus built in Texas in more than a quarter century. Its buildings share a Spanish-influenced style suited to a school that looks toward Mexico and the wider hemisphere. This walk links the library, the student center, the arts center, the science center and planetarium, and the trade research center that reflects Laredo's role as a border gateway.
Texas A&M International University traces its roots to 1970, when it started in Laredo as an upper-level branch campus for juniors, seniors and graduate students, holding classes in borrowed quarters. It adopted its current name on entering the Texas A&M System in 1993, and two years later it moved to a purpose-built campus in north Laredo that was promoted as the first brand-new university campus in Texas in over 25 years. Spanish-influenced architecture ties the campus to the border city and the hemisphere it looks toward.
Stargazers should make time for the planetarium in the Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center. It opened in 2005 beneath a 40-foot dome, and a 2026 renovation added a new projection system and seating for close to 90. The Center for the Fine and Performing Arts, opened in 2003, gave Laredo a major stage for music, theatre and visual art, and its recital hall houses the Sharkey Corrigan pipe organ.
The Western Hemispheric Trade Center reflects Laredo's standing as one of the busiest land ports on the U.S.-Mexico border and helps explain the 'International' in the university's name, while the Killam Library, named for a Laredo family long prominent in South Texas oil and ranching, anchors the academic heart of campus.
It's an easy stroll that pairs nicely with a planetarium show or an evening performance.
It is a self-guided walking tour: 5 stops, about 0.9 miles, ~40 min. Go at your own pace; the app keeps your place.
Where does it start?
In Laredo, Texas. The exact starting point, the full stop list and turn-by-turn directions are in the TexasRoam app.
How do I take this tour?
Download TexasRoam for iPhone or iPad from the App Store. The tour is included with TexasRoam+. It is not available on the web map.
When is the best time to go?
Walk in daylight, and check the planetarium's public show schedule if you'd like to finish with a show under the dome.
Take the “TAMIU Campus Tour”
Texas Roam guides you turn by turn through Laredo with maps, audio narration and check-ins as you go — plus all 5 stops on this tour and every guided tour, hiking trail and historical marker across Texas. Get it on the App Store.
Guided tours & hiking trails are available only in the TexasRoam app for iPhone & iPad — not on the web map. Free to download; unlock with TexasRoam+.
