Vicente Arias (1833 - 1914) was born in Alcázar de San Juan, Ciudad Real. He started out as a cabinet maker but went on to make guitars from around 1860 until 1914. He moved from Ciudad Real to Madrid around 1900. His guitars won many prizes around the world: his later labels display medals from competitions in Buenos Aires, Madrid, Brussels, and Barcelona. His instruments are highly regarded and were played by famous players like Francisco Tárrega.