Maya Writer Wins Guerrero Literature Prize 2025

Chilpancingo, Guerrero — Luis Antonio Canché Briceño, a writer in the Maya language and a mathematics professor, has been named the winner of the "1st Guerrero Literature Prize in Indigenous Languages 2025" in the Bilingual Poetry category for his work "Senderos de un pueblo que no se olvida / u’túul beejilo’ob kaaj ma’ich u tu’ubsa’al" (Paths of a Town That Is Not Forgotten). The announcement was made by the Secretariat of Culture of the State of Guerrero.

The winning work was submitted under the pseudonym "xk’ook" and is written in Yucatec Maya (maayat’aan). The prize was awarded in the Open Category.

The Guerrero government, through its Secretariat of Culture, presented the results of the inaugural prize. The judging panel, comprised of writers Rosario Patricio and Juana Peñate, unanimously awarded the prize in the Open Category for Bilingual Story to Gaudencio Lucas Juárez, originally from Zapotitlán de Méndez, Puebla, for his work "Exequias" (Exequies), written in the Totonac language.

In the Youth Category for Bilingual Poetry, the recognition was awarded to "Astros en mixteco" (Stars in Mixtec) by Ismael Martínez Aguilar, who is originally from the municipality of Metlatónoc, Guerrero. The Bilingual Story genre in the Youth Category was declared void, with no winner selected.

An awards ceremony is scheduled to take place during the "Academic and Cultural Week General Nicolás Bravo," which will be held throughout the month of September in Chilpancingo.

Luis Antonio Canché Briceño is a previously recognized author. He won the Premio de Literaturas Indígenas de América (PLIA) in 2022 for his work "K’i’ixib máako’ob / Los hombres espinados" (The Thorny Men). Among his publications is the book "Chumayel, entre voces y recuerdos" (Chumayel, Between Voices and Memories) from 2021, described as a brief essay and anecdotal record of the daily life of his town.