He was born in Puebla, 2 April 1813, the son of Lt. Col. José María Lafragua and Mariana de Ibarra and Veytia.

Lafragua was Secretary of the State College (formerly known as Real Colegio Carolino) and librarian in his first year in law at the Bar, where he was one of the founders.

In his youth he frequented the circle of followers of liberal Miguel Ramos Arizpe, from whom he received significant political influence and ideology.

In 1838 he published the first writers magazine, Puebla "The Literary essay", and followed with El Leonidas, which had a political slant.

He was Foreign Minister in the governments of Ignacio Comonfort, Benito Juárez and Sebastián Lerdo de Tejada.