Benigno Montoya Muñoz (1865 - 1929) was a Mexican painter, sculptor, and church builder; he is considered one of the most important quarry sculptors in northern Mexico.
He was born in Zacatecas, but at two months of age he was taken to Durango, a land where he grew up, which is why Benigno Montoya is considered Durango. In Mapimí he carved the angel that tops the lantern in the dome of the church, and together with his father he built the two towers and the altar of Nuestra Señora del Rayo in Parral, Chihuahua. He was also hired to build the home of the Archdiocese of Durango, where he designed and erected the altar for the chapel. Likewise, he designed and built the temple of Our Lady of the Angels and the now temple of San Martín de Porres. He also carved an infinity of images for the tombs of the pantheon of the city of Durango, which has made it the first “museum of funerary art” of the Republic.
Source: Aeroméxico Tips No. 29 Durango / winter 2003
