Francisco Reyna was born on February 15, 1966, near the San Ángel neighborhood in the south of Mexico City. His mother, Belen Gonzalez, was born in northern Mexico and moved to Mexico City to escape the poverty of Zacatecas’ mining towns. She found work as a maid for a wealthy family connected to the Mexican government. Francisco never met his father, Felix Reyna, who left before he was born.

He grew up in the wealthy family’s household but faced hardship after the family patriarch died when Francisco was one year old. Despite financial struggles, Francisco attended private schools in Mexico City. During this time, he taught his illiterate mother to read, write, and do basic math.

In high school, Francisco participated in leftist student movements, which led to surveillance and intimidation by the secret police. He was kidnapped by Policia Judicial officers, beaten nearly to death for 12 hours, but managed to escape seriously injured. After his family lost most of their possessions and his mother died of cancer, Francisco abandoned his studies in Art History.

He moved to the Mexican Caribbean coast, working in restaurants and hotels. There, he met his first wife from Germany and followed her to Berlin in 1989. In Berlin, Francisco took various jobs in gastronomy, construction, and at the airport. Although his degrees from Mexico were not fully recognized, he eventually trained to become a media designer. His first marriage ended, but he continued to build his career.

Francisco became a German citizen in 2004. He worked in the digital industry in Germany for over 25 years, eventually becoming a qualified IT project manager with extensive experience in media and telecommunications. He met his second wife and remained with her for 28 years not married, before marrying her in a civil ceremony in 2023.

He hasn’t lost his passion for the Mexican Art and History and has developed an interest in World History, particularly in the connections between European and Latin American Histories. His first book, “Revolución,” offers a deep insight into Mexican society, and its sequel, “Libertad,” is expected to be published in the fall of 2024.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that count. – When we feel like we’re losing control, it’s important to remember that success is not a destination but a journey”

Winston Churchill