Working in Exile
"And so the time came for me to leave there [Guatemala]...I felt a shattered, broken woman, because I'd never imagined that one day those criminals would force me to abandon my country."
-Rigoberta Menchú; excerpted from I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala
Arriving in Mexico City, Menchú faced unfamiliar surroundings and despair after losing her family. She met Monsignor Samuel García, and was critical in his campaign to support the thousands of Guatemalan refugees streaming into Mexico. She led them within the CUC by working as an educator; she encouraged them, taught them how their government had failed them, and demonstrated how to bring about change in society. |
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"This group [the CUC] survived only outside Guatemala, and Menchú soon became its most well known leader. Her story was always well received; she was a dynamic speaker who had developed a reputation for being able to connect with foreign audiences. She provided a connection to peasants, to those who lived in exile, and to many different, alienated groups."
-Heather Lehr Wagner, excerpted from Modern Peacemakers: Rigoberta Menchú Tum
"Well, my role is now that of a leader. This is mostly because the enemy knows me. My job is above all carrying papers into the interior or to the towns, and organising the people...My life does not belong to me. I've decided to offer it to a cause. They can kill me at any time, but let it be when I'm fulfilling a mission, so I'll know that my blood will not be shed in vain, but will serve as an example to my compañeros."
-Rigoberta Menchú; excerpted from I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian Woman in Guatemala