I, Rigoberta Menchú: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

Rigoberta describes the social organization of her Maya-Quiché community. Members of the community elect a representative, who functions as a father figure for everyone. Both of her parents were the village’s elected representatives. When a child is about to be born, the representatives serve as abuelos (grandparents) or “second parents” to this child, promising to support it throughout its life. Since any child that is born belongs to the entire community, the “second parents” choose godparents to support the child, so that they will stay on the right path and not adopt harmful habits if ever their own parents pass away.

During the pregnancy, neighbors visit the mother every day and bring her simple gifts. The mother talks to the child constantly, even though it is still in her womb, and performs all her usual chores in order to introduce the child to the kind of life they will lead. She also makes sure to hide the birth from her other children—unless exceptional circumstances make this impossible, the newborn child must only be seen by the village leaders and two other couples, whose presence confirms that the child belongs to the entire community. Rigoberta notes that giving birth in a hospital is unthinkable for Indians. She also considers family planning to be an insult to their culture, as it has been a way of profiting off of naïve people.

Rigoberta notes that keeping their traditions secret is a central aspect of Indian life, and that she will follow this rule throughout her narrative. Members of other religious communities have historically used the little information they had about Indian customs to misrepresent their life. For example, priests from Catholic Action (an association meant to bring Catholicism to Indian communities) have caused mistrust among Indians by criticizing the community’s trust in their elected leaders, whom the priests call “sorcerers.”

Rigoberta continues describing the Maya-Quiché traditions concerning pregnancy and childbirth. After the baby’s birth, the placenta is burned at a defined time. The community chooses not to bury the placenta in order not to harm the earth, which is seen as a another parent to the child. Rigoberta believes that many of the community’s traditions, such as using special plants to alleviate pregnant women’s symptoms, for example through calming baths made with herbs, are effective because of the vitamins the herbs contain. According to her, such plant usage, which brings strength, is one reason the Indian community has survived despite a long history of hunger and suffering.

At the baby’s birth, a fiesta (party) is organized, during which a sheep is killed. For eight days, the baby is left alone with his mother in a special location, so that he or she gradually becomes a member of the family. During this period, neighbors are expected to visit and bring gifts to the family. It’s thought that a child who receives many gifts will have many responsibilities as an adult in the community.

After eight days, another animal is killed, and all the clothing used during this period is washed. The baby can move into the house, which has previously been washed with water and lime, a sacred ingredient in Rigoberta’s culture. She believes that this makes the child physically and emotionally strong to enter the world. Four candles are arranged around the child’s bed, representing the respect for the community and the household that the child is expected to feel. At the child’s birth, their hands and feet are bound: this symbolizes the respect the child should have for all external living things, as well as the imperative to never steal from others. These binds are released after eight days.

The parents then tell the child about all the suffering they will have to face. Suffering, for Indians, is an integral part of life, but people must endure it with respect and dignity. A bag full of sacred plants (garlic, lime, salt, and tobacco) is placed around the child’s neck to ward off harmful events. The bag represents the continuation of their ancestors’ way of life.

At 40 days of age, the child is baptized in the community. The goal is for the child to learn to respect and preserve ancestral traditions, such as keeping the community’s secrets safe from rich people who might try to destroy their culture. The child is told to honor maize, as he or she is made of the maize their own mother ate. The child’s life is also meant to replace the lives of the dead. At this point, the child becomes a child of God—the community’s “father,” associated with the sun—and can honor God by respecting beans, maize, and the earth.

At the age of 10, children are prepared for adult life. They learn that they must remember the stories of oppression by white men during colonization and not trust the official narratives circulated about these events. They are told to respect vulnerable members of the community—such as their elders and pregnant women—through practical actions, such as crossing the street to let old people pass.

Although there are special celebrations for the birth of a boy, Rigoberta notes that this is not machismo (a system that values men more than women), because such celebrations honor the hard work the boy will be expected to perform as a man. Boys are given more food and more responsibility, and they’re considered heads of the household. However, Rigoberta insists that girls’ work is also valued and is, in fact, equally hard. In addition, women receive special respect as mothers: they are valued because of their special connection to the earth, capable of giving life. Although Rigoberta insists that both gender roles are complementary and equally important, she does concede that the community—and, in particular, fathers—are happier when a boy is born.

A child’s education centers on playing an active part in the community and having a generous, open heart. The community’s long stretches of poverty have made solidarity a core value among the villagers. Children learn their responsibilities through play, and learning prayers is a central feature of everyone’s upbringing.

In addition, children learn by imitating their parents: girls learn to cook from their mothers, and boys learn to work outside in the field from their fathers. They are given tools—a hoe, machete, and ax for boys, a washing board and other domestic items for girls—in order to learn what their tasks will be when they grow up. The eldest son is responsible for the house, serving as a second father to all. The mother, on the other hand, is responsible for managing the household’s money. A father has the right to scold or even beat his children if they do not respect their duties, which are thoroughly explained to them.