My Story

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

My name is Delia Gregoria Gutierrez Mendez, and it is a blessing for me to tell you about my life. I was born on January 9th, 2016, in Zacualpa, Quiche. I do not attend school yet, so enjoy playing with my cookware toys. My favorite color is blue. I love butterflies, and my favorite dish is fried chicken. I have eight siblings: five brothers and three sisters. My mother’s name is Maria Mendez Riz. She keeps busy doing the chores and raising hens to sell. My father’s name is Domingo Gutierrez Morente. He works as a day laborer and goes to the coast to work during the coffee harvesting from November to February. My family and I go with him to get extra income. Thankfully, we are healthy. Our necessities are groceries and clothes. We attend the Methodist Church as a family. We live in our own house and have some dogs there. It is made of adobe walls, tin sheet roofs, and dirt floors. It has two rooms, a separate kitchen, electricity, and running water. Unfortunately, there is no bathroom at home. My siblings and I walk for one hour and a half from our home to be in the feeding program. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my letter. I hope to hear from you and your loved ones the next time.

Kind regards,

Delia Gregoria Gutierrez Mendez

Translated by: Hillary Popol, AAC Secretary/Antigua