Humberto Ak’abal

Humberto Ak’abal, born in 1952, was a K’iche’ Maya poet from Guatemala. His book Guardián de la caída de agua [Guardian of the Waterfall] was named book of the year by the Association of Guatemalan Journalists and received its Golden Quetzal Award in 1993. 

In 2004, Ak’abal declined to receive the Guatemala National Prize in Literature because it is named for Miguel Ángel Asturias, whom he had accused of encouraging racism. Ak’abal, also a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, died in 2019.