HONG KONG (SE): The Mexican artist and muralist, Francisco Borboa Valenzuela, who created 187 murals in 11 countries and 51 cities around, including Mexico Spain, Macau, China, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, passed away on April 6.
In Hong Kong, his paintings and murals, can be found at Rosaryhill School, with a depiction of Our Lady handing a rosary to St. Domenic; the mural of the Wedding at Cana the sprawls behind the altar at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Wanchai, as well as panels of the 14 Stations of the Cross; mosaics depicting Jesus’ parables, and Jesus healing the sick, among others in St. Teresa’s Hospital, Kowloon; the outlined figures of Jesus and Our Lady on the façade of Good Hope School; and much more, including secular artwork.
Born in San Juan Bautista, California, on 23 July 1923, he grew up in Los Mochis, in Sinaloa, Mexico. In 1943 he joined the novitiate of the Society of Jesus, in Santiago Tianguistenco, and in 1984 he was sent to Beijing to study Chinese.
In 1950, Valenzuela was among the Jesuit students who left China for Hong Kong, and from there to the Philippines where he studied Philosophy before teaching at Ateneo de Cagayan de Oro in Mindanao.
In 1958, in Hiroshima, Japan, he entered the teritianship of his formation. He moved to Taichung, Taiwan, in 1960 to work for the Jesuits .
In 1962, at the age of 39, he left the Jesuits and moved from Taiwan to Hong Kong where he would marry his wife and collaborator, Anna Liang Lee in 1965. He spent 77 years of his life in Asia.
