Duncan Tonatiuh
(Mexico City, Mexico, 1984 - )
Mexican, American
Born in Mexico City and raised in San Miguel de Allende, author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiu graduated from Parsons and Eugene Lang College in New York City in 2008. His work is inspired by Ancient Mexican art, particularly Mixtec codices, often through an emphasis on flatness and geometry. At the same time, Tonatiuh takes advantage of the tools of our digital age, drawing by hand and then collaging his drawings via computer software. His aim is to create images and stories that honor the past, but that are relevant to people nowadays, especially children.
His book include Dear Primo: A Letter to My Cousin (2010), Diego Rivera: His World and Ours(2012), Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight (2014), Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras (2015), The Princess and the Warrior: A Tale of Two Volcanoes (2016), Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth(2020), and Vida: The Mice, the Cat, and the Alebrije (2025). These have been most frequently published in collaboration with Abrams Books for Young Readers and have variously received The Pura Belpré Illustration Honor, the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, the Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, and the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, and been named among the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books. Duncan has collaborated with the Journal of Children's Literature, Contratiempomagazine, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the 5yearplan.org, el Colegio de Michoacán, ST editorial, and topshelf comix 2.0, among others. Tonatiuh’s website includes a link to this charming description of his background and the pronunciation of his name:
My name is Duncan, or Dooncan, Tonatiuh (toh-nah-tee-YOU). My father is American
and one of his grandfathers, my great grandfather, was Scottish. Duncan is a very
Scottish name. I believe it means dark warrior or brown fighter. My mother is Mexican
and I was born and grew up in Mexico. In Mexico, Duncan is pronounced, “Dooncan.” I
like being called “Duncan” in English and “Dooncan” in Spanish. Tonatiuh is the name of
the Aztec God of the Sun. It is my middle name but I like to sign my books Duncan
Tonatiuh because I feel it represents me better. My artwork is very much inspired by
ancient Mexican art, like that of the Aztecs, Mayas, and Mixtecs. My full name is Duncan
Tonatiuh Smith Hernandez.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
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