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Garci-Aguirre, Pedro
(b Cádiz, ?1750; d Guatemala City, 15 Sept 1809). Spanish engraver and architect, active in Guatemala. He studied in Cádiz around 1760, and in 1773 he moved to Madrid, where he was probably taught by the noted engraver Tomás Francisco Prieto (1726–82). In 1778 he was appointed assistant engraver of the Real Casa de Moneda in Guatemala, where he arrived the next year. Following the death of the principal engraver, he was confirmed in this post in 1783 and held it until his death. Besides his work as engraver of coin dies and medal stamps, Garci-Aguirre made numerous fine copperplate engravings for books (e.g. P. Ximena: Reales Exequias por el Señor Don Carlos III, Guatemala City, 1790) and other publications. In Guatemala he revived the art of engraving, working in the Neo-classical style, which he was one of the first to introduce to the country. He soon became involved with architectural works in connection with the building of the new capital of Guatemala City, first in the Real Casa de Moneda and then on other royal projects. From 1783, together with Santiago Marquí, he was responsible for the construction of the cathedral in Guatemala City. He was mainly associated with the Dominican Order, for which he worked at their sugar mill in San Jerónimo (Verapaz) and built their large vaulted church and monastery in Guatemala City (both completed 1809). Though building had already begun, his design for the church of the convent of S Clara in Guatemala City was not approved by the Real Academia de S Fernando in Madrid since it was considered to be in bad taste. He took part in the initial stages of the construction of the great churches of S Francisco and La Recolección (1780–1808), both in Guatemala City. In 1795 his design for an Academia de Bellas Artes was not accepted by the Crown. As a member of the Sociedad de Amigos del País of Guatemala, he was responsible for establishing the first Escuela de Dibujo in Guatemala and was the first director from March 1797. When the Sociedad de Amigos was closed by royal decree in 1800, the school continued under his direction until his death. In this school leading Guatemalan artists such as José Casildo España (1798–1848) and the miniaturist Francisco Cabrera were trained.
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