Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras, Mexican architect and painter

Francisco Eduardo Tresguerras (October 13, 1759, Celaya, Guanajuato—August 3, 1833, Celaya) was a prominent Mexican architect and a painter in the colonial period and early independence. October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years). ... 1759 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Celaya is a city in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located at . ... Guanajuato is a state in the central highlands of Mexico. ... August 3 is the 215th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (216th in leap years), with 150 days remaining. ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Believing he had a religious vocation, he entered a monestary in Mexico City, but soon changed his mind and returned to Celaya and was married. He began working as an artist — painting, sculpture and engraving. He soon requested permission to work as an architect. His first architectural works were the Fountain of Neptune (1797) and an arch commemorating the proclamation of Charles IV as king. Both of these are in Querétaro. Charles IV (November 11, 1748 - January 20, 1819) was King of Spain from December 14, 1788 until his abdication on March 19, 1808. ... Querétaro (formal name: Querétaro de Arteaga) is a state in central Mexico. ...

From 1802 through 1807 he worked rebuilding the church of El Carmen in Celaya, in a Neoclassical style. This is considered his greatest work. The church presents three Neoclassical façades, above which rises a tower ending in a bell shape. This was a novelty in New Spain at the time of its construction. The church also includes a graceful tiled dome above the crossing and a lateral façade showing French influence. Tresguerras also executed some of the sculptures in this church. Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ...

In the same city he decigned the chapel for his internment in the chuch of San Francisco, and a bridge over the River La Laja. In Guanajuato the palace of the Count of Casa Rul is his. Professionally, he traveled widely in the central part of the country. He is also credited with other buildings in San Luis Potosí, San Miguel el Grande, Salvatierra, Salamanca, Irapuato, and some towns in Jalisco. The Mexican state of San Luis Potosí has an area of 62,848 km². It is in the north-central part of the republic, bordered by the Mexican states of Jalisco, Guanajuato, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, and Zacatecas. ... Panoramic view of San Miguel de Allende. ... Salvatierra (Basque: Agurain) is a town and municipality located in the province of Araba, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in northern Spain. ... Salamanca: Plaza Mayor Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salamanca Salamanca (population 157,906 (2003)) is a castilian city in central Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca in the autonomous community of Castile-Leon. ... Main Plaza of Irapuato Irapuato is a city in the Mexican state of Guanajuato, lying on the Irapuato River, a tributary of the Lerma River. ... Jalisco is one of the 31 states of the United Mexican States (Mexico). ...

Among his paintings are a portrait of his wife (1787), a self-portrait (1794) and two frescos in the church of El Carmen in San Luis Potosí. There is also a El Juicio Final (Last Judgment) in the chapel of Los Cofrades in the church of El Carmen de Celaya.

Tresguerras also wrote devotional works and poetic satires. A notebook of critical notes was published, unedited, in 1962 under the title Ocios literarios. His friends wrote a biographical sketch etitled Tres zamoranos ilustres. This remaind unpublished until 1951, when it appeared in Morelia.

Tresguerras was arrested in 1811 for sympathy with the independence movement.

The Museo Nacional de Artes Plásticas in Mexico City contains several of his works:

• La Virgen del Carmen
• Santa Rosa de Viterbo
• Educación de la Virgen

References

• 15,000 Nuevas Minibiografías. Panama City: Editorial América, 1989.
• "Celaya, Diócesis de," Enciclopedia de México, vol. 3. Mexico City: 1987.
• "Tresguerras, Francisco Eduardo de," Enciclopedia e México, vol. 13. Mexico City: 1987.
• Villegas, Víctor Manuel, Tresguerras, arquitecto de su tiempo. 1964.

External links

• Brief biography
• Façade of the Templo del Carmen, Celaya (photo)