This was eased somewhat after winning prizes in 1861 and 1862 at events related to Corpus Christi festivities, organized by the city government of Granada, which resulted in several commissions.

Meanwhile, he continued to paint prolifically; creating scenes from the life of the bourgeoisie and Spanish history; winning a gold medal at the Exposición Granadina in 1876.

One of the works he painted there ("St.John of God saving the Sick from a Fire at the Royal Hospital") won second prize at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1881.

During excavations carried out in 1872, he discovered the first remains at Medina Elvira [es], an archaeological site in the Baetic Cordillera, which was probably the origination point for the Taifa of Granada, a medieval Berber kingdom.

In 1904, he was elected President of the "Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife", an organization devoted to historical preservation.