Born in Laguna in 1922, Cruz's sculptor father, Amado, convinced her to become an architect instead of her original desire to be a dentist.
Cruz graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1947 with a degree in architecture.
She placed seventh in the licensure exam, making her the first registered female architect in the Philippines the next year.
[1] Along with her husband Jose Del Rosario, a civil engineer, Cruz designed about 120 homes, edifices, and hospitals in the Philippines, including parts of the University of Baguio.
[2] Beyond her work, Cruz is admired because she pursued a career in a male-dominated field at a time when women's rights were just starting to get recognized in the Philippines.