Through the initiative of then-president of Mexico Miguel Alemán Valdés, the first congress of academies convened with the purpose of maintaining the integrity of and fostering the further growth of Spanish.[4] The meeting was held from 23 April to 6 May 1951 and resulted in the creation of the association[7] and its permanent commission.[8] The Royal Spanish Academy (Spanish: Real Academia Española or RAE) was not present at the initial meeting but participated in the permanent commission.[9] Ever since the second congress convened in 1956, the RAE has been a regular participant.[citation needed]