Francisco de Pablo and Augusto Quijano Receive 2024 National Engineering and Architecture Awards

The 2024 National Engineering and Architecture Awards were presented to engineer Francisco de Pablo Galán and architect Augusto Quijano Axle at the Palacio Postal Mexicano in Mexico City. Jesús Esteva Medina, Secretary of Infrastructure, Communications and Transport, represented President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo at the ceremony, praising the recipients as living memory of a nation built with intelligence and responsibility. Esteva highlighted de Pablo's work in educational infrastructure, noting it opens opportunities and becomes shared life. He described Quijano's architecture as emotionally resonant, evoking the implicit religiosity of Luis Barragán. The event was organized by the Asociación de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de México, attended by authorities, family, and friends. In his acceptance speech, de Pablo recounted his career, including teaching at UNAM's Faculty of Engineering for 25 years and involvement in projects like the Palacio de los Deportes and Alberca Olímpica. He dedicated the award to his family and late colleague Daniel Ruiz Fernández, emphasizing the need to rethink engineering education for future generations. Quijano offered only brief thanks without a speech. Esteva cited Lao Tzu and José Saramago, framing construction as an act of transcendence and memory.