Kowii is considered to be a significant poet in the Kichwa language. His debut collection Mutsuktsurini (1988) was one of the first books to be written and published exclusively in Kichwa. He has published two more books since then: Tsaitsik (1993) and Diccionario de nombres quichuas (1998).
He is the brother of a mayor of Otavalo, Mario Conejo Maldonado.[1][2][3]