Rafael de Soto was born in 1904 in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. Eleven-year-old Rafael was sent to St. Joseph's Seminary in San Juan, where he was trained to be a priest. His natural artistic talent was noticed by Father Noel, who sent Rafael to private art lessons with a local artist. Rafeal finally decided to become an artist rather than go to Rome to complete his religious training: "I liked girls too much!". In 1923, at age nineteen, he moved to New York City where he began his carrer: he worked for several pulps and men’s adventure magazines and also drew covers.