Born in Quito in 1947, Guadalupe Ibarra settled in Cuenca during her adolescence due to her father's military career. It was there that she decided to study architecture, enrolling at the University of Cuenca in 1963. An outstanding student, Ibarra earned her degree in 1970, becoming the first Ecuadorian woman to graduate as an architect in the country.
Immediately after graduation, she applied for a teaching position at the same university, winning the competitive selection process among 30 candidates and earning the top rank by achieving the highest score in the evaluation. Ibarra taught Design Studio, Technical Drawing, and Construction Materials at the institution until 1978.
