Lecture: "A. Lafuente, un arquitecto shanghainés en Tijuana"
Fri, Aug 28
|Universidad Iberoamericana Tijuana
Discover how Shanghai's only registered Spanish architect crossed continents to leave an unforgettable, newly rediscovered mark on early 20th-century Tijuana.
Time & Location
Aug 28, 2026, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM PDT
Universidad Iberoamericana Tijuana, Av. Centro Universitario #2501 Playas de, 22500 Tijuana, B.C., Mexico
About the event
This lecture explores the life and architectural legacy of Abelardo Lafuente for the Mexican architectural community of Tijuana.
He is the only Spanish architect officially registered in Shanghai's history. Though forgotten in Spain, Lafuente achieved massive success in Asia during the early 20th century. He famously introduced the Spanish Neo-Moorish style to Shanghai, a vibrant hub of international culture.
Lafuente's career spanned three decades and five countries across three continents. He began in the Philippines in 1898, dominated the Chinese architectural scene for a decade, and even designed major projects in Hollywood (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico).
At the lecture, we look at his newly rediscovered buildings in Shanghai and his incredible journey as a Spanish pioneer in the West Coast.