With the translations of his works into numerous languages and international recognition, Akʼabʼal is considered to be "the most renowned Maya K'icheʼ poet"[1] in the world and one of the best known Guatemalan writers in Europe and Latin America.

Since gaining popularity, Akʼabʼal's poetry has been translated into many different languages, including French, English, Estonian, Scots, German, Japanese, Dutch, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Arabic, and Italian.

"[4] In describing Ak'bal's work, Spanish poet Antonio Gamoneda wrote: "I remain seriously impressed by Ak'abal's poetry, by its essential simplicity, by the elemental sacredness within which pulsating words reveal deeds, things, and directly natural beings.

"[5] Chilean historian Miguel Rojas Mix wrote that "Akʼabal sings like the birds, speaks K'iche' Maya, and thinks as we'd wish most men thought.

"[9] The young Asturias proposed a program of eugenics —focused on the assimilation of Guatemala's Indians into its mestizo (in local usage “ladino”) population— as a remedy to the ills of the Guatemalan nation, a process he would promote by encouraging European immigration.