CC1492

Cuatro Caminos "four roads", is an area located high on the 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 Indians who inhabit this area trace their ancestral roots to the ancient Mayan civilization.  They normally speak an Indian 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.

Hello, my name is Edgar David de la Cruz Ajqui.  I was born on March 18, 2006 and I am thirteen years old.  I have four sisters.  One of them also goes to the feeding program and we have to walk about 35 minutes to get to the program.  My father’s name is Carlos and he is working in the United States on a plantation.  He calls us and sends us money for our expenses.  My mother’s name is Petrona and she is a housewife.  She also has domestic animals such as sheep, cows and hens and when they are grown, she sells them to earn a little money for our expenses.  We own the house in which we live.  It has three rooms and a separate kitchen.  The house is made of adobe with a tin roof and a concrete floor.  We have electricity but we do not have water.  We get our water from a small natural spring.  We do not travel to the coast to work in the coffee harvest.  I am in the 6^th grade.  My favorite color is blue and my favorite animal is the parrot.  The foods that I like best are strawberries and caldo de res (typical Guatemalan dish).  In my free time, I like to play soccer.  My family attends an Evangelical church.

With much love and many blessings

Edgar David de la Cruz Ajqui

Translated by: Edwina Lyons/ AAC Missionary