An Indian Woman in Guatemala "I, Rigoberta Menchu: An.
Indian Woman in Guatemala" is a human story.
when this story was recorded, Rigoberta was only.
twentythree years old and had already witnessed and.
experienced a lifetime of unbelievable physical,.
psychological, and spiritual persecution. Her story is.
a testament to the strength and endurance of the human.
spirit under the most de-humanizing conditions.
imaginable. At the same time, this personal narration.
offers an insiders view of the social, political,.
economic, religious, and cultural life of an entire.
group of people. Through Rigoberta, a contemporary.
Maya community comes alive bringing with it the.
struggles that began with the Spanish Conquest and.
continue in the Guatemala of the twentieth century. .
To completely dismiss this book as garbage merely on.
the grounds that not everything is true is a bit.
foolish. Few people telling their own stories tell a.
complete truth. For those who seek to read a good.
account of how counter-insurgency forces decimated.
villages, I recommend Victor Montejo's book Testimony:.
Death of a Guatelmalan Village. Back to Menchu's story.
--I am fully aware that David Stoll has written a book.
which exposes several "lies" by Menchu. However, I.
still contend that this book is of immense historical.
and anthropological value. Few books give us such.
description of the Mayan lifestyle (though the Mayan.
lifestyle is not a homogenous one as their fallen.
empire is one of many different ethnicities). This.
book provides us with good examples of duality between.
Christianity and Mayan traditions, the racial.
hierarchy present in Guatemala (also present in other.
Hispano-american nations), and indigenous myths.
associated with the presence of the white man.
(Notably that medicines introduced from whites have.
been less effective than the formerly used herbs and.
roots, etc. Menchu also made a reference that she'd.
heard elders say snakes did not bite the indians prior.