Born in Tepetlaoctoc, Mexico in April 24, 1826, Castro was a lithographer, draughtsman and painter. He may have studied at the Academia de San Carlos, Mexico City, but it seems more likely that he trained professionally with the Italian lithographer, painter and stage designer Pedro Gualdi. Castro made drawings and 30 lithographs for the album Mèxico y sus alrededores published by Decaen. It offers a characteristic, contemporary view of the capital, including depictions of buildings, squares and streets embellished with figures representative of all social classes, professions and occupations. In 1877, shortly after the opening of the railway, he illustrated the Album del ferrocarril mexicano with many lithographs of scenes such as tunnels, bridges and stations along the railroad that reveal a highly developed cartographic sense. Castro was influenced by José María Velasco in the composition of landscapes in which the railway appears such like Volcán Citlaltépetl. In addition, Castro produced architectural drawings during a visit to Spain and Italy in 1885, some paintings of Mexican towns including Puebla, Jalapa and Orizaba, fair posters Some of his drawings reveal an incipient tendency to Art Nouveau. He died in Mexico City in January 8,1889.
