Throughout his career, Palito directed nine feature films, most of them focusing on the period of violence that Peru experienced between 1980 and 2000. His films have been screened in various venues in Ayacucho, Lima, and at international film festivals, and he has received numerous awards and accolades.

Palito Ortega attended school in Huamanga and at the Colegio Guadalupe in Lima. He returned to Ayacucho, where he studied anthropology at the National University of San Cristóbal de Huamanga. His early work consisted of documentaries for tourism purposes, projects for television channels, and reports and documentaries related to acts of violence commissioned by non-governmental organizations. In 1994, he premiered his first film, "Dios tarda pero no olvida" (God Takes His Time But Doesn't Forget), which ran for two months in Ayacucho due to its large audience.