RIGOBERTA MENCHU

 

Born in 1959, the brave Mayan woman from Guatemala, Rigoberta Menchú, is a 1992 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and is a hero for human rights of indigenous people of the world. In order to understand her incredible story, a historical background of Guatemala must be first presented. The Mayan people were the target of a civil war in Guatemala, which was brought on by frictions, both ethnic and socioeconomic, in 1960. 450 villages of the Maya were already demolished when in 1996, the peace agreement in Guatemala was agreed upon, and thus it was visible that there was massive decimation of the Maya due to the war.

Menchú’s father was engaged in politics, which encouraged her to also become engaged in politics. For indigenous Mayas to have an improved standard of living was the goal of the Catholic activism of Menchú which was done in her early years. The Peasant Unity Committee, of which her father was a part of (and that she became a part of later) had two goals. The first being that appropriation of land of peasants by wealthy landowners was to be defended against, and the second goal was for peasants to get land with the help of the committee. To counter oppression, the 22 Indian groups in Guatemala were to get together, which was the job of Menchú when she became a part of the committee. The army of Guatemala was responsible for killing Menchu’s father, brother, and sister and in 1981, Menchú went to Mexico.

The world became aware of Menchú and how the situation in Guatemala is oppressive because of her popular book I, Rigoberta Menchú released in 1983 which included her depiction of the deaths of her mother and brother as well as her early years that were spent in poverty. She established WINAQ, which was the first party headed by indigenous people in Guatemala and was a candidate for president in 2007 and 2011, but was not elected. In order for Mayan communities to be aided, the Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation was also founded by her.