Benito Chica Argueta, better known as Sebastián Torogóz, was born in the rural Cantón El Zapotal in Joateca, Morazán, El Salvador. He was the fourteenth child of his parents, Francisco Chica and Cástula Argueta. From an early age, around nine, he began playing guitar at home; his siblings were part of a chanchona (a rural string ensemble) that performed at family celebrations and community events. In his youth, Sebastián joined community Christian reflection groups (which later became part of the Comunidades Eclesiales de Base) in El Zapotal. There he participated in courses on first aid and community health, blending spiritual reflection with social praxis. In 1978, he formally joined the armed struggle via the Ligas Populares 28 de Febrero (which later became part of the ERP). In June 1981, Sebastián and fellow combatants founded Los Torogoces de Morazán, the musical group that became closely associated with Radio Venceremos and the cultural resistance during the Salvadoran war.

During the twelve years of war, Los Torogoces acted as “juglares¨ troubadours of resistance, traveling through conflict zones, performing songs, sharing stories, and offering laughter in the face of adversity. Sebastián employed music, storytelling, and theatrical satire, often impersonating figures of the elite or military, as a tool to challenge authoritarian power and uplift communities under duress.

After the signing of the peace accords, he reassembled the group with younger generations and continued touring both nationally and internationally. Among his notable works are corridos like Recordando al Profeta (in tribute to Oscar Romero) and Corrido al Mozote, honoring victims of the Mozote massacre. He has also actively engaged in memory work—publishing, performing, and organizing events that resist silencing of El Salvador’s violent past.

Sebastián’s artistry is deeply rooted in the folk traditions of Morazán and El Salvador’s eastern region, combining instruments such as harp, marimba, and strings with narrative lyrics that document struggle, identity, and resilience. His music remains informed by a liberation perspective that insists on the importance of collective memory, social justice, and cultural reclaiming. In recent years, he continues to mentor youth, organize concerts, and deliver talks that bridge El Salvador’s past and present struggles, deepening transnational solidarity and cultivating new generations of cultural and political memory keepers.