Along with the commercial and industrial boom of the late nineteenth century, a character emerged in Aguascalientes that transformed the appearance of the city, the brilliant builder Refugio Reyes Rivas, born in the Zacatecan ranch of La Sauceda, in 1862.
Along with the commercial and industrial boom of the late nineteenth century, a character emerged in Aguascalientes that transformed the appearance of the city, the brilliant builder Refugio Reyes Rivas, born in the Zacatecan ranch of La Sauceda, in 1862.
Of humble origins, from an early age Reyes manifested a great talent for architecture. He worked in Zacatecas in the construction of the Central Mexican Railroad, which allowed him to learn the most modern techniques and the use of metallic structures.
Reyes was able to capture and combine the most diverse styles, such as modernist, neo-Gothic and art nouveau in countless civil and religious works, especially in Aguascalientes. The temple of San Antonio and the Hotel Francia, the Hotel París (currently the seat of the Legislative Palace), the buildings that occupy the INAH, the Archive and the Museum of Aguascalientes, which was previously the Normal School, are just some of the most notable of this character, to whom the Autonomous University of Aguascalientes granted the title of "Post-mortem Architect." Refugio Reyes passed away in 1943.
Source: Aeroméxico Tips No. 21 Aguascalientes / Fall 2001
