Cinco Puntos Press
Cinco Puntos Press is an El Paso-based independent publishing imprint known for bilingual, multicultural, political, and border-region books for children and adults.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Cinco Puntos Press is an independent-minded American publishing imprint founded in El Paso, Texas, in 1985 by novelist Lee Merrill Byrd and poet Bobby Byrd. From its beginnings, the press developed a distinctive editorial identity around multicultural literature, bilingual publishing, and writing connected to the Mexico–United States border. Its list has included books for children, young adults, and adults, spanning fiction, nonfiction, poetry, folklore, memoir, regional writing, and illustrated works. The press became particularly associated with bilingual children's books and with literature that treated the border not as a peripheral subject but as a central cultural, political, and human setting. Its authors and books have represented Mexican American, Indigenous, Latino, multilingual, and other historically underrepresented perspectives. The catalogue has also included literary fiction, crime and historical writing, essays, and books addressing political conflict and social identity. This combination of regional commitment and broader multicultural publishing allowed Cinco Puntos to build a national reputation while retaining the character of a small, editorially focused house. Cinco Puntos received national attention in 1999 after publishing The Story of Colors / La Historia de los colores by Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of Mexico's Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The decision brought political controversy and led the National Endowment for the Arts to withdraw funding from the publisher. The Lannan Foundation subsequently supplied replacement support at twice the amount of the lost funding. The episode also generated strong public interest in the book: Cinco Puntos sold out its first printing within days. The controversy became one of the defining moments in the press's history and reinforced its reputation for publishing politically engaged and culturally distinctive work. The press's authors have included Joe Hayes, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Sergio Troncoso, Tim Tingle, George Ella Lyon, Dagoberto Gilb, David Romo, Lisa Sandlin, Robert Boswell, Gary Cartwright, Xavier Garza, James Carlos Blake, Byrd Baylor, J. L. Powers, Youme Landowne, and Paco Ignacio Taibo II, among others. Its publishing record has been recognized through regional and national honors, including the Border Regional Library Association Southwest Book Award, the Rocky Mountain Publishing Association Dwight A. Myers Award, and an American Book Award for excellence in publishing. In 2005, Lee Merrill Byrd and Bobby Byrd received Lannan Foundation Cultural Freedom Fellowships for Excellence in Publishing. Cinco Puntos was sold to Lee & Low Books in June 2021. The transaction placed the press within a larger independent publisher known for multicultural children's and young adult literature. Cinco Puntos therefore remains identifiable as an editorial imprint with its own history and catalogue, while operating under Lee & Low's ownership. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate current leadership team, detailed financial results, or a complete post-acquisition operating structure.
History
Cinco Puntos Press was established in El Paso, Texas, in 1985 by novelist Lee Merrill Byrd and poet Bobby Byrd. The founders created a small press whose identity was closely connected to the cultural life of the Mexico–United States border and to the need for more inclusive publishing in the United States. Its list developed across children's books and adult literature, with bilingual editions, multicultural themes, political writing, regional nonfiction, poetry, folklore, and literary fiction forming recurring areas of interest. A defining feature of the press was its attention to Spanish-English bilingual publishing for children. Rather than treating bilingualism simply as a translation format, Cinco Puntos used it to present border communities, family histories, oral traditions, and cultural experiences to readers in both languages. Its adult catalogue similarly included fiction and nonfiction about the Southwest and the border, while also publishing authors whose work addressed race, identity, migration, politics, conflict, and social difference. The press's most prominent controversy came in March 1999, when it published The Story of Colors / La Historia de los colores by Subcomandante Marcos, the leader of Mexico's Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The book's political associations led the National Endowment for the Arts to withdraw funding from Cinco Puntos. The Lannan Foundation responded with replacement support worth twice the amount of the withdrawn funding. The event brought the publisher national attention, and the first printing of the book sold out within days. It remains the clearest example of the press's willingness to publish politically charged and culturally distinctive work despite institutional risk. Cinco Puntos continued to publish a broad author list, including Joe Hayes, Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Sergio Troncoso, Tim Tingle, George Ella Lyon, Dagoberto Gilb, David Romo, Lisa Sandlin, Robert Boswell, Gary Cartwright, Xavier Garza, James Carlos Blake, Byrd Baylor, J. L. Powers, Youme Landowne, and Paco Ignacio Taibo II. The press received recognition from regional and national literary organizations. Listed honors include the Border Regional Library Association Southwest Book Award in 1993, the Rocky Mountain Publishing Association Dwight A. Myers Award in 1997, and a 1999 American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation for excellence in publishing. In 2005, the Lannan Foundation awarded Lee Merrill Byrd and Bobby Byrd Cultural Freedom Fellowships for Excellence in Publishing. One of the press's notable author achievements was Benjamin Alire Sáenz's recognition for Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club, a book published by Cinco Puntos in 2012. Sáenz received the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and a Lambda Literary Award in 2013 for the work. In June 2021, Cinco Puntos Press was sold to Lee & Low Books. The acquisition changed the ownership structure while preserving Cinco Puntos as a recognizable publishing imprint. Lee & Low's broader focus on multicultural children's and young adult literature provides an institutional context compatible with Cinco Puntos's established editorial identity. Available reference material does not provide a detailed account of post-acquisition management, current staff, financial performance, or the precise extent of ongoing publication under the Cinco Puntos name.
- 2021
Acquisition by Lee & Low Books
[1]Cinco Puntos Press is sold to Lee & Low Books and becomes part of that publisher's imprint structure.
- 2012
Publication of Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club
[1]Cinco Puntos publishes Benjamin Alire Sáenz's book, which later receives major literary recognition.
- 2005
Founders receive Lannan Cultural Freedom Fellowships
[1]Lee Merrill Byrd and Bobby Byrd receive Lannan Foundation fellowships recognizing excellence in publishing.
- 1999
Publication of The Story of Colors
[1]Cinco Puntos publishes the bilingual Marcos book that becomes the center of a major funding controversy.
- 1999
American Book Award for excellence in publishing
[1]The Before Columbus Foundation gives Cinco Puntos an American Book Award for excellence in publishing.
- 1997
Dwight A. Myers Award
[1]The Rocky Mountain Publishing Association honors the press for excellence in regional publishing.
- 1993
Southwest Book Award recognition
[1]The Border Regional Library Association recognizes Cinco Puntos for excellence in publishing.
- 1985
Cinco Puntos Press is founded
[1]Lee Merrill Byrd and Bobby Byrd establish the press in El Paso, Texas.
Products and positioning
An independent, multicultural publisher centered on bilingual literature, border-region perspectives, socially engaged writing, and books for readers underserved by mainstream publishing.
Bilingual political children's book · 1999
The Story of Colors / La Historia de los colores
A bilingual book by Subcomandante Marcos, the Zapatista leader. Published in 1999, it combined a children's-story format with political and cultural associations linked to the Zapatista movement. Its publication brought Cinco Puntos national attention, caused the NEA to withdraw funding, and quickly drove out the first printing.
Literary fiction · 2012
Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club
Benjamin Alire Sáenz's literary work, published by Cinco Puntos in 2012. The book was subsequently associated with significant literary recognition, including the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and a Lambda Literary Award received by Sáenz in 2013.
Children's books
Bilingual children's publishing
A core Cinco Puntos publishing line featuring English-Spanish books for children. These works commonly draw on multicultural experience, folklore, family life, border communities, and perspectives that have historically been underrepresented in mainstream children's publishing.
Regional literature
Border-region fiction and nonfiction
A recurring catalogue area focused on the Mexico–United States border and the cultural, political, historical, and personal experiences associated with the Southwest. The line includes adult fiction and nonfiction as well as work for younger readers.
Controversies
1999
Controversy over The Story of Colors
Cinco Puntos's publication of Subcomandante Marcos's The Story of Colors / La Historia de los colores led the National Endowment for the Arts to withdraw funding. The Lannan Foundation later supplied replacement support, and the book's first printing sold out rapidly.
Brand decisions
2021
Sell the press to Lee & Low BooksM&ABackground
After decades as an independent press with a multicultural and bilingual catalogue, Cinco Puntos entered a new ownership arrangement.
Action taken
Cinco Puntos Press was sold to Lee & Low Books in June 2021.
Aftermath
The brand became an imprint within Lee & Low Books. Public reference material does not specify the transaction value or detailed operating changes.
1999
Publish The Story of Colors despite its political associationsProduct launchBackground
The press selected a bilingual work by Subcomandante Marcos, a prominent figure in Mexico's Zapatista movement, within its established interest in political and border-related publishing.
Action taken
Cinco Puntos released The Story of Colors / La Historia de los colores in March 1999.
Aftermath
The publication triggered a funding dispute with the National Endowment for the Arts, attracted national attention, received replacement support from the Lannan Foundation, and sold out its first printing within days.
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