José Domingo Gómez Rojas, (during his imprisonment) The only one of his works to have been published during his lifetime was Rebeldías líricas (1913), in the midst of the social upheaval that was demanding change in Chile's oligarchic society.

They describe him as:[1] [...] A visionary of things mysterious and otherworldly... His brief poems carry transcendental ideas expressed with a brilliance that is only reinforced by the grandeur of his style.As a student at the University of Chile's Pedagogical Institute and School of Law, Gómez Rojas participated in the University of Chile Student Federation, but maintained a more militant commitment to the Asamblea de la Juventud Radical (Radical Youth Assembly), a political organisation that served as a point of convergence for many young Chilean revolutionaries of the day.

Known as Las Marchas de Hambre (The Hunger Marches) these actions intended to demonstrate popular support for changes to legislation proposed by the AOAN and its commissions after over two months' deliberation.

So great was the support on the streets, that then President of Chile, Juan Luis Sanfuentes, was obliged to receive delegates of the AOAN, who presented the proposals to him with the expression “He aquí la voluntad del pueblo” (This is the will of the people), and a warning of civil disobedience across the country were these not approved within 15 days.

[2] After first being detained in the penitentiary, he was later transferred to La Casa de Orates, the country's first and most notorious mental institution, where, after some time, he was driven to insanity by an undiagnosed bout of meningitis.

He died on 29 September 1920, and his funeral was attended by over 50,000 people,[3] a poignant demonstration of the huge political, economic and social crisis to which the country had been subjected by the dominant oligarchy, and of the nationwide support for the demands made by the Marchas del Hambre, a process which transformed José Domingo Gómez Rojas into a symbol.