José María Barceló de Villagrán (1819-1872) was the first Professor of Topographic Anatomy in Mexico. The Mexican poet Manuel Acuña (1849-1873) was among his students. After the death of his mentor, Acuña wrote a monograph entitled“Topographic Anatomy. The Cephalo-Rachidian Cavity” (1893). For the first time we discuss the content and significance of this monograph.