The extraordinary life of Rigoberta Menchu

Discover the fascinating life of a Nobel Peace Prize winner

Rigoberta Menchú grew up in a community with traditional Mayan beliefs that ultimately represent herself. She is a Guatemalan Mayan leader who became involved in social reform for the Indian community in her country. She won the Nobel Price, and published a book in 1992 called I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, which exposes her personal experiences and the reality of Mayan people. These people live in the countryside of Guatemala in poor conditions, and they do not have access to a proper education, health, and food. After a decade of the publication of her book, David Stoll made an investigation of Menchú’s life. He published the book, Rigoberta Menchú and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans. Rigoberta Menchú has written lies that are a central topic in her book. These myths describe events and facts within her life, and she concocted them to shape her political image as well as create a particular myth about her. She does this because she wants her country to accept her, and to gain political power in her native country that discriminates Mayans.

Rigoberta wrote her autobiography as a female Mayan leader. She also wrote the history to make the connection with the realism of the people that live near her community. She wrote her autobiography because she wanted to encourage people to promote good will around the world to help the poor Mayan Indians of Guatemala and the third-world Indians countries reach their rightful legacy. However, Stoll has analyzed Rigoberta Menchú’s autobiography as a fictional political story. He proved that Rigoberta had lied about her life. He discovered this because he interviewed people that know Menchú facts about her. Moreover, the lies of her life are not a causality of her autobiography.  These lies are significant evidence of her autobiography, and have been purposely created to alter its political content and to create a particular political myth. According to Stoll, this falsehood of Menchú started on the first page of the book in which Rigoberta describes herself.

One polemic point in Menchú autobiography is that she said that she could not speak Spanish, so she learned it because she wanted to help unify her community. Stoll investigated Menchú’s life, and he discovered that she went to school when she was young. He discovered this fact when he interviewed Rigoberta’s friend who went to school with her. There is clear evidence that Menchú received an education and learned when she was young. However, she said that she was narrating the story of all poor in Guatemala, so she adapted some content of her biography to resemble the portrait of them.

Another powerful point in Rigoberta’s autobiography is that even though educational opportunities for Mayan women were very limited in Chimel, Menchú’s native city, Menchú still went to school. Menchú. Stoll interviewed the manager of the school, and he recalled seeing his name on the school’s record. Unfortunately, the records were disorganized and never found. Moreover, Menchú went the Belgian College, located in downtown Guatemala City.

Menchú told her story to the world because she wanted people to recognize the problems and adversities that her community has suffered from. The autobiography of Rigoberta Menchú has created international fame for her, which made her win the Nobel Peace Prize and became recognized as the leader of Mayas and other India groups that have been oppressed since the time period of the conquerors. However, Menchú wrote lies in her book. These myths describe her life as a Mayan woman and leader. Also, she emphasized that she did not say the truth about her life because she was protecting the identity of her friend and nuns. Menchú’s autobiography has been exposed as a political fabrication. She lies because she wants to be accepted as a Mayan political leader.