Sabino Esteban Francisco

Sabino Esteban Francisco is a celebrated Guatemalan poet of Mayan Q’anjob’al heritage. Raised amid adversity during Guatemala’s internal armed conflict, his family sought refuge in Chiapas, Mexico, before returning to join a resistance camp in Ixcan. Deeply shaped by this upbringing, his poetry bridges Indigenous memory and contemporary expression. He is the author of critically acclaimed collections such as Sq’aqaw yechel aqanej / Groove of Footprints (2007), Yetoq ‘junjun b’ijan aq’al / With a Coal’s Piece (2011), Xik’ej K’al Xe’ / Wings and Roots (2013), and Sq’och Xajaw / The Moon’s Stairway (2017). Francisco’s work has been featured in national and international anthologies and read at literary festivals across Guatemala, Spain, Mexico, and the United States.