My Story

Zacualpa is a small but busy village in a mountain valley. The village is inhabited by both Quiché 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.

I am delighted to say hello to you through this letter. My name is Antony Robert Davids Cux Aguilar and I want to tell you a little about my life. I was born on May 8, 2013. I am in third grade. My favorite color is black, I love eating seafood broth, and my favorite animals are dogs. The people who I live with are my mother, stepfather, and youngest sister. I have one sister and one brother. My biological father divorced my mother many years ago. His name is Edin Timoteo Cux Coj. He is a merchant and supports my oldest brother because he lives with him. My father does not help me economically. My mother’s name is Marta Alicia Aguilar Panjoj. She is a housewife and sells homemade food and snacks every day. My stepfather’s name is Jose Luis Lastor De La Cruz. He has lived with us for about two years. He is a mechanic and works on his own business. After school, I like helping him by doing easy tasks like cleaning.

By God’s grace, my family and I are in good health. We attend the Catholic Church. We live in a rented house. My mother and stepfather pay Q1200=$153.02 per month. The house has three rooms and a separate kitchen. The walls are made of blocks with concrete roofs and ceramic floors. We have electricity and running water. We raise some chickens, turkeys, and pigs at home. Some of our greatest needs are groceries and a new bed. I love receiving delicious lunches at the feeding program. I usually walk five minutes to get there. I say goodbye to you now, but I want you to know that my mother helped me to give all this information to a teacher of LW. See you later!

With much love,

Antony Robert Davids Cux Aguilar

Translated by: Hillary Popol / AAC Secretary / Antigua Guatemala