Ruben was born and raised in Guatemala, where he did his undergraduate in Archaeology. He then did an MA in Latin American Studies and is currently enrolled as a Ph.D. Student in Anthropology, both at Tulane University. His main interests are the integral study of ancient and modern Maya culture, the implementation of community-engaged scholarship, and public outreach methodologies such as gamification. When he is not working on this, he loves to do watch sports, especially to ride his bike and exploring nature.