He was born in Pastura, New Mexico and grew up in Santa Rosa, on the banks of the Pecos River. His father was a rancher.
He studied accounting before switching to English at the University of New Mexico, where he received a bachelor's and master's, and a second master's in guidance and counseling.
He was a Chicano writer who authored dozens of novels, plays, nonfiction books, and poetry collections, and taught at his alma mater, the University of New Mexico.