Luis de León grew up between Mexico and Guatemala, where he attended elementary school in rural areas of both countries. He took art classes at the Miguel Hidalgo School in Tapachula, Chiapas, and later graduated from Rafael Landívar University with studies in communications, philosophy and literature. He’s also attended seminars on investigative journalism techniques at the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University and the Goethe Institute in Berlin, Germany. Luis worked as an investigative reporter in his native Guatemala, and in 2009, he was forced to flee after receiving death threats. He ended up in Louisville, Kentucky, a place where he rediscovered his faith through music. For nearly 15 years, the accomplished musician has been a member of the popular band Appalatin, which combines Appalachian folk and high-energy Latin music.
