Day 10: Rigoberta Menchú Tum – Maya Voice for Justice.
Rigoberta Menchú Tum, a K’iche’ Maya woman from Guatemala, has dedicated her life to justice, human rights, and the survival of Indigenous peoples. Born in 1959 to a family of farmers, she grew up witnessing the violence of military dictatorship, land theft, and systemic racism against Indigenous communities. Her childhood was marked by profound loss. Her father, mother, and brother were killed during Guatemala’s brutal civil war, which claimed more than 200,000 lives, the majority Indigenous.
Despite this trauma, Rigoberta transformed grief into activism. In exile, she published her autobiography I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala, which revealed to the world the realities of genocide, colonization, and cultural oppression faced by Indigenous Guatemalans. Her testimony gave voice to millions silenced by state violence and inspired global solidarity movements.
Amplifying her Voice for Peace and the People
In 1992, Rigoberta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Indigenous woman to receive the prestigious honor. She used this powerful platform to amplify calls for peace, cultural survival, and Indigenous sovereignty across the globe. She reminds us that resistance is not only about surviving oppression but about reclaiming wisdom, land, and community.
“We are not myths of the past, ruins in the jungle, or zoos. We are people, and we want to be respected, not to be victims of intolerance and racism.” – Rigoberta Menchú Tum
Continuing the Fight
Rigoberta also ran for President of Guatemala in 2007 and 2011 under the banner of WINAQ, the first indigenous-led political party founded by herself. In 2013 the Autonomous National University of Mexico (UNAM) appointed her as a Special Investigator within its Multicultural Nation Program.
“Only together can we move forward, so that there is light and hope for all women on the planet.” Rigoberta Menchú Tum
She continues to seek justice for all Mayan people impacted by the genocide. Her courage embodies resistance rooted in Indigenous wisdom, showing that survival is sacred and that cultural continuity is itself an act of defiance.
Learn More
- Support: Rigoberta Menchú Tum Foundation (via Nobel Women’s Initiative)
- Visit: Rigoberta Menchú Tum at Museo Memoria y Tolerancia for an overview of Rigoberta Menchu Tum’s ongoing advocacy and foundation work.
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