Jesus Enrique Emilio de la Helguera was born in May 28, 1910 in Chihuahua, Mexico. His parents, Alvaro de la Helguera Garcia, a Spanish economist, and Maria Espinoza Escarzaga moved to Mexico City when Jesus was very young. Two years later, they moved to Cordoba, in the state of Veracruz.
In 1917, the family moved to Ciudad Real, Castilla la Nueva, Spain, and soon thereafter, they moved to Madrid. At 12 years old, he attended the Escuela de Artes y Oficios. At 14, he was admitted to the Escuela Superior de Bellas Artes under Marcelino Santamaria, Manuel Benedito, Julio Romero Torres and others. He then studied at the famous Academia de San Fernando, and was a regularly found wandering the halls at the Museo del Prado.
He was hired as an illustrator at the Editorial Araluce working on books, magazines and comics. Many of his published works were done in gouache. He also worked for magazines such as Estampa and Blanco y Negro, and became a professor of visual arts at a Bilbao art institute.
The Spanish Civil War and related economic problems made him return to Mexico, where mural making was en vogue, and populism and socialism were in ascendance. Upon his arrival, he was hired by Cigarrera la Moderna, a tobacco company, to produce their calendars, printed by Imprenta Galas de Mexico.
In 1940, he painted La Leyenda de los Volcanes. It was purchased by Ensenanza Objetiva, a producer of didactic images for schools. From then on, Helguera’s images would be widely reproduced and would become a standard feature of Mexican homes, schools and businesses.