Marzán was born in Vega Baja, a coastal town in north central Puerto Rico, just west of San Juan.
He grew up working in sugar cane fields, did not attend school past first grade, and later gained carpentry skills as a teenager through building wooden frames for suitcases.
After his retirement from the toy factory, Gregorio Marzán used his life of carpentry and doll-making to create larger, vibrant renderings and sculptures.
[1] Marzán's inspirations for sculptures came from animals and figures he had seen in Puerto Rico and New York, such as colorful roosters and whimsical giraffes from the Central Park Zoo.
He exhibits his Puerto Rican roots through the Latin American tradition of creating shrines and totems out of common objects, but often celebrated his new home in New York City through distinctly-American icons such as the Statue of Liberty, eagles, and the Empire State Building.