Prof. Baca-Lobera (Mexico City, 1957) began self-taught studies in guitar at age fourteen. He studied composition with Julio Estrada at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in Mexico City in 1979 and with Brian Ferneyhough, Jean-Charles François and Joji Yuasa at the University of California at San Diego from 1985-91, where he learned his MMus and PhD. He also attended Darmstadt in 1990 and 1992.

Among his honors are special mentions in the Lan Adomián (1980, for Contornos [withdrawn]) and José Pablo Moncayo (1982, for Movimientos [withdrawn]) competitions, both in Mexico City. He won the New Music Today competition in Tokyo (1988, for Invención No. 2) and the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at Darmstadt (1992, for Trios [y dobles]) and the Irino Prize in Tokyo (1996, for Tierra Incógnita). In addition, he earned an artist's salary from the Fondo Nacional para las Artes in Mexico City (1992-93). He was a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow (2001-02) and has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores,Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (FONCA) in Mexico City since 1997.

His music has been performed throughout the world, including four times at Darmstadt (1990, 1992, 1994, 2004) and three times at the ISCM World Music Days (1991, Zürich; 1993, Mexico City; 1999, Bucharest/Chisinau), as well as once at the Festival Cervantino (1994) and the Primavera en La Habana festival in Havana (2002) and twice at El Callejón del Ruido festival in Guanajuato (1996-97) and the Foro de Compositores del Caribe (2000, Xalapa Enríquez; 2002, Cali). Among the ensembles, orchestras, organizations, and soloists that have commissioned him are guitarist Magnus Andersson, the Festival Cervantino, flautist John Fonville, the Orquesta Filarmónica de Querétaro, bass clarinetist Harry Sparnaay, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and the pianist Marcel Worms.

Prof. Baca-Lobera is also active in other positions. He served as composer-in-residence to the Orquesta Filarmónica de Querétaro in 1994-95.

He has taught analysis, composition, counterpoint, and ear training as a professor at the Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro since 1994.