An Indian Woman In Guatemala Essay -- Guatemala India History Historic

An Indian Woman In GuatemalaGuatemala is the commonwealth of Eternal Springs and the home of the richly cultured andhistoric Mayan people. It it besides the soil of Rigoberta Menchu, anilliterate farm worker, turned voice of oppressed people everywhere. Guatemalaalso has the sad distinction of being home to Latin Americas oldest civil war.For more(prenominal) than three decades, left-wing guerrillas have fought a series ofrightist governments in Guatemala. The war has killed an estimated 140,000 inthe country, which has 11 million people. (N.Y. Times June 14, 1996 pA4 col 2)This is a story of a people in crisis, and one womans struggle to aim truth, asa means of setting her people free.The majority of the state are Indians, and much of the struggles arise outof the ashes of the past. Spain conquered Guatemala in 1524, which was thestart of the oppressiveness of the inherent people of Guatemala. Since this time thenative people have been rule by the Spanish speaking minority, the Ladinos,many of which are descended from the Spanish colonists. branch in 1954, when Guatemalas elected government was overthrown by thearmy, the military began a in forgivinge war against the Indian people. This type oftorture and oppression continued, and during the 1970s the repression wasespecially common during this time more and more Indians began to resist. Itwas during this time that Rigoberta Menchus family became involved in theresistance.The smirch in Guatemala is similar to South Africa, where the black majorityare command with absolute power by the white minority. Like South Africa, theIndians in Guatemala are lacking in even the most basic of human rights.Indeed the so-called forest Indians are being systematically kill inthe name of progress. But unlike the Indian rebels of the past, who cherished togo back to pre-Columbian times, Rigoberta Menchu is not fighting in the name ofan idealise or mythical past. (Menchu xiii) Rigoberta is working towarddrawing at tention to the plight of native people around the globe.Once an illiterate farm worker, she has taught herself to read and pen Spanish,the language of her oppressor, as a means of relating her story to the world.She tells the story of her living with honesty and integrity in hopes ofimpressing upon the world the indignation of the oppressed. In additi... ...She has been accuse of supporting the countrysleftist actions and harming Guatemalas image abroad.In awarding the prize, the Nobel committee wanted to draw attention to theplight of Guatemalas Indians in the hope that it would lead to betterconditions. Recently, Guatemalans have found cause for that hope, as a peace dole out is due to be signed in January 1997, ending the fighting amidst therebels and the government. In addition, a truth commission has been formed tohelp families of disappeared members rise answers relating to their deaths, byuncovering the countrys many unmarked mass graves. Rigoberta Menchu continuesto liv e in exile under death threghts upon her return to Guatemala. She is welladapted to the lifespan which has been handed down to her, by generations of poorand oppressed Indians. Yet when she speaks, she speaks of her good-looking culture,and of the many joys that her family had over the years, all without a trace ofbitterness in her voice.Works CitedMenchu, Rigoberta. I, Rigoberta Menchu An Indian Woman In Guatemala. LondonVerso, 1984.Guatemalans Take natural Step Toward Peace. The New York Times 14 June 1996,pA4 col 2