Rigobera Menchu

One of the many legacies of Spanish rule in the Americas is a history of hostility between indigenous peoples and those who claim Spanish descent.  After Spain's colonies won their independence, the latter group tended to hold political power and often ruled at the expense of indigenous peoples.  Time and again in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, indigenous groups rebelled against their rulers to defend their claims to land and other resources necessary to their survival.  One of the longest and bloodiest of these conflicts was the Guatemalan civil war in which peoples descended from the ancient Maya battled the Ladino-controlled government (you'll learn about the Ladinos below) and its wealthy allies.  That war cost the lives of thousands of Guatemalans, but it also provoked the voice of one Rigoberta Menchu, about whom you read in chapter 35.  In her effort to call attention to the sufferings of her people, Menchu produced an autobiography that became one of the most influential documents of the modern human rights movement.  Use the links below to learn more about Menchu, her world, and her legacy.

1. Read a brief history of Guatemala and then examine this timeline of Guatemalan history from 1944-199.  Finally, consider the recent history of Guatemala, particularly the events that led to the formation of Truth Commission to inquire into abuses of civil war period.
2. With the publication of her autobiography Menchu did not cease speaking for her people. 
3. Menchu's work is only one element of a much larger movement to preserve the rights of indigenous peoples.  In many cases "rights" still means the fundamental right to survival.  Read the DECLARATION OF ATITLÁN and consider its emphasis on food.
4. Much of the influence of Menchu's autobiography rested on its claim to truth.  However, a few years ago a scholar published evidence that cast doubt on the truth of some of the incidents Menchu recounted.  To learn more about the scholar's case and the debate it provoked, read Anthropologist Challenges Veracity of Multicultural Icon and Tarnished Laureate.  Guatemalan Laureate Defends Her Book summarizes Menchu's response to the charges against her autobiography; and Teaching Fact or Fiction collects the reactions of teachers who have used Menchu's book in their classes.