Manrique was born in Puerto Naos, Arrecife a few minutes after his twin sister, Amparo. The twins and their brother and sister enjoyed a happy childhood, with summers spent at Farmara.
He volunteered in the Spanish Civil War on the Franco side, but on returning home in 1939, he burnt his uniform and refused ever to talk about his experiences.
After an abortive two year spell studying Technical Architecture at La Laguna University on Tenerife, he moved to Madrid, where he graduated as an Art Professor and painter. His cousin, Manuel Manrique, urged César to join him in New York, where he worked for several years, financed by a grant from Nelson Rockerfeller's Institute of International Education.
He returned to Lanzarote permanently in the mid-1960s and began his work on a series of public attractions as well as campaigning to protect the natural environment of the island from the ravages of tourism as much as possible.
Manrique was not a typical artist in that he was quite puritan, not smoking or drinking alchohol, and keeping regular working hours.
Manrique received the World Ecology and Tourism Award in 1978 and the Europa Nostra Award for conservation in 1986.
He was killed in a car accident near his home on 25th September 1992, aged 73.
He was a painter, sculptor, architect, ecologist, monument preserver, construction advisor, planner of urban developments, landscapes and gardens. His legacy is the beauty of the island of Lanzarote, which we can enjoy today.