Born in Colatlán, Ixhuatlán de Madero, Veracruz, Mexico, on May 6, 1951, Juan Hernández Ramírez is a Nahua-origin poet and educator. He has held roles as a Spanish-language teacher, school principal, bilingual education supervisor, and regional director of Indigenous Education. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education from the Benemérita Escuela Normal Veracruzana “Enrique C. Rébsamen”, a bachelor’s in Secondary Education with a focus on Spanish Language and Literature from the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala, and a Diploma in Creative Writing from Universidad Veracruzana and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

He taught Indigenous Education for over forty-one years, dedicating his life to preserving Indigenous languages and cultural traditions. As a translator and cultural promoter, his work has promoted the Nahuatl, Tének, Tepehua, and Hñähñú languages and cultures.

He is the author of numerous poetry books including: Auatl iuan sitlalimej – Encinos y Estrellas, Oaks and Stars, 2001. Eternidad de las hojas, The Eternity of Leaves, 2006. Chikome Xochitl – Siete Flor, Seven Flower, 2007. Totomej Intlajtol – La Lengua de los Pájaros, The Language of Birds, 2008. Tlatlatok Tetl – Piedra Incendiada, Burning Stone, 2010. Tlixochimili – Jardín de Fuego, Garden of Fire, 2014. Tlalxiktli – Ombligo de la Tierra, Navel of the Earth, 2015. Ejekateskatl – Espejo del Viento, Mirror of Wind, 2019. Sintli Itos – La Voz del Maíz, The Voice of Corn, 2019. His poetry has been translated into Italian, Serbian, English, French, Portuguese, and Chinese Mandarin.

A two-time FONCA National Fund for Culture and the Arts in Mexico fellow and member of the SNCA National System of Art Creators, Hernández Ramírez has received the Nezahualcóyotl Award of Literature in Indigenous Languages, the Canto de América Prize, and the Adolfo Ruíz Cortines Medal. His work preserves forgotten Nahuatl vocabulary and classical grammar, reaffirming Indigenous literary presence in the 21st century.