Francisco Sosa was born in Campeche, April 2, 1848. When he was still a child his parents removed to Merida, where the boy received his education. His first poetical effort appeared in a local paper, when the writer was but fourteen years of age. At that time, he was editor--in union with Ovidio and Octavio Zorilla--of the paper, _La Esperanza_ (Hope), in which it appeared. Four years later his _Manual de Biografía Yucateca_ (Manual of Yucatecan Biography) was published, showing his early devotion to the field in which he has chiefly figured, that of biography. With Ramón Aldana, he founded _La Revista de Merida_ (The Merida Review), which is still published and is, unquestionably, the most influential paper in Yucatan. In 1868, when but twenty years old, he went, for the first time to the City of Mexico, where most of his life since has been spent. He had, however, already been a prisoner, for political reasons, in the famous and dreadful fortress of San Juan de Ulúa, at Vera Cruz. He became promptly associated with the literary men of Mexico and collaborated with them, upon a number of important periodical publications, literary and political. In 1873 he was associated with Gen. Riva Palacios in the editorship of _El Radical_ (The Radical). Later as editor of the _Federalista_ (Federalist), he gave to that paper a notable literary reputation and contributed to it, both prose and verse. He was one of the editors of _El Bien Publico_ (The Public Good), a paper aimed to combat the administration of President Lerdo de Tejada; while thus connected, he went to Guanajuato to join the standard of Iglesias, returning, at the downfall of Lerdo de Tejada, to the City of Mexico. Since that time, he has edited various periodicals, including _El Siglo XIX_ (The Nineteenth Century), _El Nacional_ (The National), and _La Libertad_ (Liberty). Señor Sosa’s books have been mainly in the line of biography. Besides the volume on Yucatecans already mentioned, he has published _Don Wenceslao Alpuche, Biografías de Mexicanos Distinguidos_ (Biographies of Distinguished Mexicans), _El Episcopado Mexicano_ (The Mexican Episcopacy), _Efemérides Historicas y Biograficas_ (Historical and Biographical Ephemerids), _Los Contemporaneos_ (The Contemporaries), _Las Estatuas de la Reforma_ (The Statues of “the Reforma”) and _Conquistadores Antiguos y Modernos_ (Ancient and Modern Conquerors). He has also written an appreciative work upon South-American writers--_Escritores y poetas Sud-Americanos_. Among his works in other fields are a volume of stories--_Doce Leyendas_ (Twelve Stories), and a book of sonnets, _Recuerdos_ (Recollections). In his poetry Sosa is vigorous, chaste, and strong. In prose he is direct and simple, but careful in language.