Rigoberta Menchu

Indigenous Guatemalan activist and Nobel laureate who championed human rights for marginalized communities.

Rigoberta Menchú Tum (born 1959) is a K'iche' Maya activist whose advocacy for Indigenous rights reshaped Guatemala’s sociopolitical landscape. Growing up during Guatemala’s civil war, she witnessed atrocities against her family and community, which propelled her into activism. Her memoir, I, Rigoberta Menchú, exposed systemic oppression and became a global symbol of resistance.

Menchú co-founded the United Republic of Guatemalan Opposition (RUOG) and lobbied internationally against military repression. Her efforts earned her the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize, making her the youngest Indigenous recipient. Post-war, she focused on legal reforms, advocating for trials against former dictators and founding the Fundación Rigoberta Menchú Tum to support education and healthcare.

Despite controversies over her memoir’s accuracy, Menchú remains a pivotal figure in decolonial movements. Her work inspired the 1996 UN Declaration on Indigenous Rights and continues to influence global Indigenous activism.