for a new modern aesthetic derived from Pre-Columbian art. Villafuerte left Ecuador in 1968 to study engraving, drawing, and painting at the School of Beautiful Arts in Barcelona. During his study in Barcelona, Villafuerte became fascinated with the works of Rembrandt, Durero, and Goya, as well as the intense work of Antonio Saura. The definitive irruption of the Neo-figurativism happened at the beginning of the 1970s, where Jose Carreño and Villafuerte represented Spain and Ecuador. The early Seventies saw the emergence of Villafuerte's, Transmutations Series of drawings, which consisted of exploding heads, monstrous creatures, figures of half women and half birds with multiple mouths and protruding veins. During this time, Villafuerte held many exhibits with the likes of Zuniga, Carreño and Yaulema all across Spain and Ecuador. Villafuerte was a very hard worker and was known to spend at least 16 hours a day drawing. He was also known to spend hours drawing satirical cartoons, often depicting the impoverished struggles of Latin Americans. One of his many important works is "Curas y Saldados" (1972), which shows the maturity of his drawing and the nerve of the color. Villafuerte died of cancer on August 15, 1977 while living in Barcelona. He left a great deal of master works behind thanks to his hard working nature. Much of his work was left to the family in Ecuador; However, there is still a large body of work that remains in Spain with his widow, Aracelli Molina, as well as various galleries and collections throughout Spain and Ecuador. One incident that was widely publicized in both Spain and Ecuador was the brief loss of the corpse of Villafuerte. After Villafuerte passed in Spain, his father and Nila flew to Spain to bring the body home. When they arrived back in Guayaquil there was a large crowd gathered to pay respects, but when the plane was unloaded there was no corpse. It was later discovered that the corpse had accidentally been sent to Lima, Peru. Once the body was located it was sent back to Guayaquil where it was held under guard for a short period of time at the House of Ecuadorian Culture. Villafuerte was finally laid to rest at the General Cemetery in Guayaquil. Villafuerte took drawing to all possibilities of the imagination, with the highest level of skill. In 1979, the first retrospective to honor the work of Villafuerte was held at