My Story

Chuchuca, where your child lives, 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 more than a two-hour walk to the nearest market town of Zacualpa. Chuchuca 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 normally 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.

Hello! My name is Jose Angel Chingo Mendez. I was born on January 26, 2012, and I am 11 years old. I am in fourth grade this year. I like the color blue, and my favorite animal is the Quetzal, the Guatemalan national bird. The meal I love is beef broth. My hobby is to play football. I am a healthy boy, and fortunately, my family is doing well too. I have one brother. My father’s name is Angel Chingo Gomez. He is a farmer and most of the time he goes to work on the coast to supply our needs. My mother’s name is Paula Mendez Garcia. She usually does the housework and tries to contribute to the income by weaving typical items to sell. She also raises hens and pigs.

We attend the Church of Christ. My father owns the house in which we live; there are two rooms and the kitchen is separated. Our rooms are made of adobe walls with a roof made of tile and a floor that is just dirt. We have no running water, but one uncle shares it with us. My parents pay for the electricity each month. Our greatest needs are groceries. The feeding program is far away from home, and I walk one hour to get there. This time the Living Water staff collected this information personally for the record, and my mother Paula Mendez provided it. I say goodbye to you for now, but I hope to hear from you very soon. Many blessings!

Special hugs,

Jose Angel Chingo Mendez

Translated by: Violeta Hernandez / A-A-C Secretary-Antigua Guatemala