Sixto Valencia Burgos

Sixto Valencia Burgos (March 28, 1934 – April 23, 2015) was a Mexican cartoonist based in Mexico City, best known for his long tenure as the principal artist of the beloved and controversial comic *Memín Pinguín*. He was born in Mexico City and began his career in the 1950s, working on various comic strips before taking over the art for *Memín Pinguín* in the 1960s, a role he held for decades. His style was energetic and expressive, with a clean, bold line that defined the look of the character for generations of readers. The series, about a mischievous black boy and his friends, was a massive hit in Latin America but drew sharp criticism from U.S. media for its reliance on racial stereotypes. Valencia Burgos collaborated closely with writer Yolanda Vargas Dulché, who created the character, and his work on the title made him a household name in Mexican comics. He is credited as artist and inker on 19 issues in our catalog, including *Memín Pinguín* and *Memín Pinguín Regresa*. Later in life, he continued to draw and teach, leaving a complex legacy as both a beloved popular artist and a figure at the center of a debate on racial representation. He received no major international awards but was honored by Mexican comic industry peers.