Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiche Mayans and Ladinos (those with mixed European ancestry). The prevalent language is Spanish. Families in this village live in one or two room homes generally constructed of either wood or adobe. Although many of the people are farmers, the village contains several small specialized stores, a body repair shop for buses, mechanics, plumbers and many other small town tradesmen. It also has a large open air market which serves much of the area. Even with all of this, the poverty level is very high and the children are very needy. 

Hello! My name is Antonia Lisseth Mendez Garcia, and it is a pleasure to share a little about my life with you through this letter. I was born on May 8, 2017. When I was younger, I had a lump beneath my right ear, so I had surgery. After a while, I had another surgery because I had a hernia in my left leg. Today, I am doing well. However, I tend to suffer from a cough when the weather is colder than usual. I had bronchitis some years ago. I am 8 years old and attend school as a second grader. My favorite pastime is playing with my toys, especially when I pretend to cook. I like the color pink. My favorite food is rice and meat. I love cats. Now, let me tell you about my family. I have two brothers and one sister. My mother’s name is Maria Garcia Portuguez. She is a housewife and works as a day laborer. She picks green beans and tomatoes for our neighbors to contribute to the expenses. Besides that, she raises chickens for our consumption.  

Unfortunately, my biological father is not part of my life. He abandoned our family many years ago. His name is Rolando Mendez Ruiz. Fortunately, my mother met a good man who supports our family. His name is Rolando Mendez Ruiz, and he works as a farmer and day laborer. We attend the Catholic Church in our town. The house where we live belongs to my mother. It is made of adobe with a metal sheet roof and a concrete floor. It has two rooms and an improvised kitchen in the hallway. Luckily, there is a spring in our village where everyone can get water. My mother and her husband contribute economically to keeping the spring clean. We do not have electricity, so we use candles at night. The feeding program is far from our house. We usually walk for one and a half hours to get there. It is time to say goodbye, but I kindly ask you to pray for my family and our well-being. Some of our needs are clothes and food, especially corn. See you later! 

Kisses and hugs,  

Antonia Lisseth Mendez Garcia 

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala