My Story

Pasojoc is an area located high on the side of a mountain in the state of Quiche, Guatemala. Life in this area is very difficult and very isolated from the outside world. It is more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Pasojoc is a farming area where corn and black beans, the staple elements in their diet, are the major crops. The Quiche Mayans who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization. They normally speak a Mayan dialect called Quiche - however, Spanish is becoming more common. Very little money ever changes hands in this area as they live on a barter system.

Special regards to you! This is Marlon Billy German Gutierrez Garcia, and I am a healthy 6-year-old boy. I was born on February 25, 2019. I am in kindergarten. My favorite pastimes are playing soccer and doing homework. I love eating fried chicken. My favorite color is yellow. Domestic animals are cute, but my favorite one is the rabbit. I live with my parents and siblings. I have two brothers and one sister. My father is Francisco Gutierrez Garcia. He makes a living as a farmer and day laborer in our village, while my mother keeps busy doing the chores. Her name is Basilia Garcia Gutierrez. She also raises chickens and pigs at home for our consumption. About our spiritual life, we attend a nearby Christian Church. My family and I live in our own house, although it legally belongs to my father. It is made of adobe with a metal sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has one room, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. We have one dog and one cat as pets at home. The feeding program is about 25 minutes from where we live. My mother and I usually walk to get there. See you later!

Huge hugs,

Marlon Billy German Gutierrez Garcia

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala