Painter, illustrator, and printmaker Francisco Dosamantes was born in Mexico City, where he attended both primary and high school. He then entered the Escuela Nacional de Artes Plásticas and studied there for five years, though disappointed by his inexperienced professors.

He found employment with the cultural missions of the Secretariat of Public Education in Oaxace, Michoacán, and other rural, impoverished states. Working with both indigenous and agricultural communities there, Dosamantes gained great sympathy for the plight of these people, sparking a life and career devoted to political and cultural activism. He was a member of the League of Revolutionary Writers and Artists, and a founding member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, remaining active with this group until his death.

He created a series of lithographs depicting the lives of rural Maya in Campeche which have earned enduring recognition and found their way into numerous public and private collections. His work was widely exhibited throughout North America, and can be found at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. as well a many other institutions in the Western Hemisphere. Francisco Dosamantes died in Mexico City.