Guatemala.
Guatemala
1891
Guatemalan comics grew out of press caricature.
Satirical weeklies such as Tomás Mur's El Diablo Cojuelo (1891) and Nicolás Urquieta's El Peladito (1896) came first, and from 1923 the faceless Muñequito of the daily El Imparcial spoke for the ordinary citizen for decades. Editorial cartoonists such as JotaCe and Filóchofo carried the form through the late 20th century, and since 2012 a small scene of independent graphic novels has grown, from Luis Chalí's Maya comic Beleje Ajmaq to Pablo León's Silenced Voices.
18
22
1891
2020s
Artists from Guatemala in the archive.
Comics from Guatemala in the archive.
El Diablo Cojuelo, the earliest comic from Guatemala in the archive.
The decade when the most new comics from Guatemala began.
historieta
Guatemala in 4 chapters
A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.
Guatemala.
4 chapters
Chapter 1
1891
to 1920
Satirical weeklies and Mon Crayon
1891
to 1920
Chapter 01
Satirical weeklies and Mon Crayon
The Spanish sculptor Tomás Mur founded the satirical weekly El Diablo Cojuelo in 1891 and was expelled in 1901 for caricaturing President Manuel Estrada Cabrera. The Mexican Nicolás Urquieta launched El Peladito on 15 August 1896. José Cayetano Morales, known as Mon Crayon, became the leading Guatemalan caricaturist of the early 20th century and co-directed the humour magazine Stegomia in 1919.
1920
to 1975
Chapter 02
El Muñequito and the humour press
El Imparcial, founded in 1922, printed its Muñequito from 18 January 1923: a small faceless man reading the paper, written by the editor David Vela and drawn by Alfonso Campis. The figure stopped appearing under Jorge Ubico and came back on 2 July 1944. Rodolfo Valladares, nicknamed the Loro, drew for papers in Quetzaltenango and the capital, and Alfredo Juárez Aranda filled the humour weekly Entre broma y broma with his drawings.
1976
to 2011
Chapter 03
Modern editorial cartoonists
Julio Castillo (JotaCe) drew his first cartoon for El Gráfico in June 1976 and later moved to elPeriódico. José Manuel Chacón created Filóchofo in 1988, a poor family man whose cartoons ran in Siglo Veintiuno and elPeriódico, and in 1999 he told the country's history in cartoons in La otra historia. Guillermo Lorentzen edited the humour magazine La Pastilla in 1994, and Lionel Fock drew for Nuestro Diario from its start in 1998.
2012
to today
Chapter 04
Graphic novels and independent comics
Luis Chalí printed the first saga of his manga-style Maya comic Beleje Ajmaq in 2012, and Byron Quiñónez's crime novel El Perro en Llamas became a graphic novel in 2015. Titles such as Mayakán, Gustavo Soria's The Table (2020) and La leyenda del Guerrero Jaguar (2022) followed, although Soria says the country still lacks a strong comics culture. Pablo León, who grew up in Guatemala City, received a 2026 Sibert Honor for Silenced Voices, a graphic novel about the Guatemalan genocide.
The comics to know
- El Peladito1896 · comics magazineNicolás Urquieta. Satirical weekly that mocked President José María Reina Barrios; one of the first homes of printed caricature.
- El Muñequito de El Imparcial1923 · comic stripDavid Vela and Alfonso Campis. Faceless everyman of El Imparcial's editorial cartoons.
- Filóchofo1988 · comic stripJosé Manuel Chacón. Cartoon character created to denounce government abuses.
- La otra historiaLa otra historia: de los mayas al informe de la Comisión de la Verdad1999 · graphic novelFilóchofo (José Manuel Chacón). Guatemalan history from the Maya to the truth commission, told in cartoons.
- Beleje Ajmaq2012 · comic book seriesLuis Chalí. Manga-influenced Maya comic in nine planned sagas.
- El Perro en Llamas2015 · graphic novelByron Quiñónez and Byron Zúñiga. Graphic novel version of Quiñónez's crime novel.
- Silenced VoicesSilenced Voices: Reclaiming Memories from the Guatemalan Genocide2025 · graphic novelPablo León. Graphic novel about the armed conflict; 2026 Sibert Honor.
The people to know
- Mon Crayon (José Cayetano Morales)José Cayetano Morales FuentesDied 1930Called the strongest Guatemalan caricaturist of the early 20th century.
- Alfonso CampisAlfonso Campins Raymundo1899 to 1973Drew El Imparcial's Muñequito.
- JotaCe (Julio Castillo)Julio CastilloEditorial cartoonist at El Gráfico from 1976 and later at elPeriódico.
- Filóchofo (José Manuel Chacón)José Manuel ChacónCreator of the cartoon Filóchofo and the cartoon history La otra historia.
- Luis ChalíBorn 1989Creator of the Maya comic Beleje Ajmaq.
- Pablo LeónBorn 1985Author of the graphic novel Silenced Voices.
More artists from Guatemala
- Guillermo LorentzenGuillecaricaturist
- Gustavo Soriacartoonist
- Juan Pablo Mijangoscomics writer
- Marvin OlivaresBorn 1963 · caricaturist
- Alfredo Juárez Aranda1893 to 1978 · caricaturist
- Rodolfo ValladaresRodolfo Valladares FernándezBorn 1898 · caricaturist
- Erick ValdezBorn 1970 · cartoonist
- Pablo PiloñaPablo Piloña PalmaBorn 1980 · caricaturist
- Byron QuiñónezBorn 1969 · writer
- Lionel Fockcartoonist
- KareiJusto Medranomanga artist
- Guillermo Grajeda Mena1918 to 1995 · painter
More comics from Guatemala
All 22 comics- La Matracacomics magazine
- The Journeywebcomic
- Stegomia1919 · comics magazine
- La Pastilla1994 · comics magazine
- Entre broma y bromacomics magazine
- Anita!2021 · graphic novel
- Kazuhikocomic book series
- The Table2020 · graphic novel
- El Chispazo del Día1978 · comic strip
- Mayakáncomic book series
- Saraguate1920 · comics magazine
- La leyenda del Guerrero Jaguar2022 · graphic novel