The Spanish exiles who arrived in Mexico after the Civil War had a profound impact on national life, particularly on cultural life. Writers, publishers, artists, scientists, and technicians found in Mexico a place where they could rebuild their lives and continue their work.
Among these disciplines, architecture holds a unique place: not only because of the buildings that were constructed, but also because of how it helped shape urban life in Mexico City. The capital had not yet become the mecca of modernity it would aspire to be decades later.
At AW Magazine, we look back at some of the most influential Spanish architects who came to Mexico after the war and the rise of Francoism.
The Context of Spanish Exile in Mexico
The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) not only destroyed the social fabric but also disrupted the lives of an entire generation of professionals and intellectuals educated in the most progressive schools of European thought. Architects involved in public housing were forced to leave their country following the triumph of Francoism.
Under the administration of Lázaro Cárdenas, Mexico adopted an unprecedented asylum policy. The government not only opened its borders but also recognized professional credentials and facilitated the integration of exiles into the workforce, at a time when the country was undergoing rapid urban and economic growth.
At least two generations of exiles arrived in Mexico: on the one hand, adults who had already established their careers in Spain; on the other, children and young people who grew up and were educated in Mexico.
Based on this dual condition, a diverse map of architectural exile can be drawn.
Félix Candela (1910–1997)
A graduate of the Madrid School of Architecture, Félix Candela arrived in Mexico in 1939. His hybrid background—somewhere between architecture and engineering—shaped a distinct approach to architectural design from the very beginning.
In Mexico, he founded the firm Cubiertas Ala, through which he developed the famous laminated reinforced concrete structures known as “cascarones.” Works such as the Los Manantiales restaurant in Xochimilco, the Church of the Miraculous Medal, and the Cosmic Ray Laboratory at Ciudad Universitaria redefined the relationship between form, calculation, and economy of means.
Tomás Bilbao (1890–1954)
An architect trained in Madrid, Tomás Bilbao built a career in Spain that was closely linked to social housing and the urban debates of the Second Republic. Franco’s victory brought an abrupt end to both his political activities and his professional prospects.
After a particularly difficult period in exile, Bilbao arrived in Mexico in 1942, where he found conditions very different from those that had given meaning to his work in Spain. In Mexico, his architectural output was more limited.
He worked on industrial and commercial projects and collaborated with other architects in exile. He represents a generation of architects for whom exile did not mean the continuation of professional recognition, but rather the persistence of their craft as a form of resistance and a source of meaning in their lives.
Francisco Azorín (1885–1975)
An architect and socialist politician, Francisco Azorín arrived in Mexico in 1939. Unlike some of his colleagues, he managed to establish a sustained professional career, combining architectural practice with teaching and political activism while in exile.
In Mexico, he participated in affordable housing projects through the Pablo Iglesias Cooperative and served as a professor of hydraulics at the Autonomous University of Puebla, which expanded his influence beyond the design of spaces and buildings.
His career demonstrates an approach to architecture as a social project, in which housing, education, and collective organization are all part of a single ethical vision of the built environment.
José Luis Benlliure Galán (1928–1994)
Benlliure Galán arrived in Mexico as a child, at the age of just eleven, and was educated there. The grandson of the sculptor Mariano Benlliure and the son of an architect, his work is deeply rooted in Mexico City.
He is the architect behind iconic buildings such as the aforementioned Aristos Complex. He also played a role in the restoration of public spaces such as the Plaza del Palacio de Bellas Artes.
After the 1985 earthquake, he worked on heritage preservation and reconstruction projects. His architecture is characterized by a focus on the site and attention to detail, as well as a commitment to integrating his designs respectfully into the urban environment.
Bernardo Giner de los Ríos (1888–1970)
He arrived in Mexico in 1941. He was one of the architects most severely punished by the Franco regime. In Mexico, he resumed his professional practice and designed urban architectural projects such as the Mariscala and México movie theaters, while also becoming a central figure in the institutional exile community, linked to the Ateneo Español and the Republican government in exile.
His work embodies architecture understood as a public service, where design and political memory are part of the same commitment to community life.
Living in Exile
More than just a style or a school, these architects shared a way of understanding architecture as a response to extreme historical circumstances.
Exile was not merely a biographical narrative, but a way of inhabiting space, of adapting to a new territory, and of building a city from the experience of loss. His works, often quietly integrated into the urban landscape, remind us that Mexican modernity also arose from displacement, technical skill, and the will to start anew.
Meet other architects in AW Magazine.
