Background Info: Birthplace

Rigoberta Menchú was born in a village in Chimel, a Quiché province of Guatemala on January 9, 1959. She was born of Indian descent and spent most of her childhood a peasant, like many Indian families living in Guatemala at the time. In 1960, her parents moved the family to a land, which they claimed and cultivated themselves. Shortly after other indigenous families followed, and thus they formed their community. Farming was their main way of life at this home, and although their crops prospered, there was still not enough to feed everyone and pay expense all the costs of living. To supplement these harvests, the family worked on coffee bean plantations for the extra money and food. On the downside however, these living areas were often cramped and unsanitary, with many people living without clean water. It was often cramped and unsanitary however, and many people lived in small areas without
clean water.

Guatemala