This paper analyzes and compares two testimonials from Victor Montejo and Domitila Barrios de Chungara about human rights issues in Latin America. Both accounts highlight human rights abuses and unstable governments. Victor describes torture by the Guatemalan army, while Domitila discusses exploitative working conditions in Bolivian mines. Their stories also show how frequent changes in government led to continued oppression. Both Victor and Domitila had a significant impact by giving voice to the disadvantaged and advocating for reforms.

1. Critical Thought Paper
Aaron Garrett
History 340: History of Latin America
July 7, 2016

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Introduction
This paper first discusses the two testimonials broadly. Then it specifically highlights one
example each from the testimonials that showcases two fundamental issues. These two issues –
human rights abuse, and the nature of unstable governments – become apparent in both
testimonials. Victor and Domitila encounter multiple human rights abuses, with Domitila’s
occurring over many years. The two testimonials also show the problems with unstable
governments. Victor deals with the military arm of the Guatemalan government, and Domitila’s
comes from multiple governments. In conclusion, this paper shows how these two individuals
ultimately impacted their respective societies through these accounts.
Broad Overview
The two testimonials from Victor Montejo and Domitila Barrios de Chungara show two
different people with different problems going on in their respective countries. Victor deals with
the massacre of his village because of an attack on it by Guatemalan army forces. Domitila deals
with the frequent oppressive measures put into place by multiple governments over a couple
decades. Despite differences in circumstances, some of the issues they deal with bridge both
accounts. Both share issues of human dignity and personal freedoms. Victor deals with these in
the context of his village. Domitila deals with issues within the Siglo XX mine her husband
works in, and issues of capitalism, socialism, and communism. Victor, on the other hand, deals
with more local issues of indigenous rights since his Mayan group becomes targeted. The each
try to reach a different audience. Whereas Victor speaks to the indigenous and his country in
general, Domitila speaks to women, capitalists, socialists, communists, and her country.
Gender also plays a significant role in their respective stories. Although a man, Victor
still undergoes intense persecution and torture. In general, no matter your gender you become

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subject to torture or end up killed in Victor’s village. In Domitila’s story, women become the
central part of her struggle. She helps in the leadership of a women’s organization to push for
mine reform, general reform, and women’s rights. Men and women both share defined and
traditional roles in the Bolivian society of her time period, and the same becomes evident in
Victor’s village.
The role of the family also shares similarities and differences in the stories. While both
share traditional roles for men and women, Domitila’s story shares much more of the interactions
between her and her family. Family, while there, remains distant for Victor because of his
separation from them after the army captures him. He interacts with them at the end only after
the army releases him. Family life defines much of Domitila’s story. She tries hard to provide for
her family. Basic needs like shelter become difficult to maintain. If certain conditions like death
of her husband, accident at the mine, or termination from work befall them then housing goes
away. This situation strains the relationship between her husband and her husband. He seldom
agrees with her socialist tendencies, often blaming those views for his struggle to find work.
Lastly, the interactions between these people and their governments show the
commonality both testimonials share. In Victor’s account, the government becomes represented
in the army that attacks, captures, and kills many residents of his indigenous village. In
Domitila’s account the government really spans many governments during the time of her story.
She mentions how most governments oppress the poor and disadvantaged, conspire with foreign
interests and investors, and hurt the lower classes through inflation and denying basic human
rights like food, water, shelter.
Human Rights Abuses

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First, human rights abuse from each account. Early in Victor’s account while inside the
local church, a place where he frequents and teaches at, the army attacks his village and it
quickly becomes apparent that they target anyone and everyone who gets in their way. It also
becomes apparent that they target those who accused of dealings with guerilla forces. A person
named Manuel accuses Victor of alliance with guerilla forces. During the they question Victor,
the army officers torture Manuel. It mentions that a sergeant “began jumping up and down,
coming down hard on [Manuel’s] lungs and chest…he kicked him…until more blood flowed
from his nose and mouth.”1 Although Manuel gave the information regarding guerilla
sympathizers, he ends up tortured. This speaks to the indiscriminate brutality of those involved
with this army trying to eradicate this village of indigenous Mayan. They resort to any measures
necessary in order to strike fear in the hearts of the villagers.
In Domitila’s account she also writes about human rights abuses. When speaking about
the types of people who work in the mines, she mentions a group called the veneristas or
“veiners.” This group consists of some two thousand mine workers. They remain independent of
the other workers and any ore they mine they sell back to the company for a small profit. This
group often goes very deep into the mines where little to air circulation exists. Prolonged
exposure deep in the mines becomes required in order to get the maximum needed ore, usually in
the form of tin. The mine hires these “veiners” because these retired mine workers previously
contracted “silicosis, the occupational disease of the mines.”2 A few problems arise with this
situation. First, they hire already sick workers. Second, those in charge of the mines allowed
these people to continue to work, and in the worst areas imaginable in the mines. This situation
1 Victor Perera, trans., Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village (Willimantic, CT: Curbstone Press), 44.
2 Victoria Ortiz, trans., Let Me Speak!:Testimony of Domitila, a woman of the Bolivian mines (New York, NY:
Monthly Review Press), 22.

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shows blatant human rights abuses. The elites that controlled the mines displayed no regard for
protection against occupational safety hazards. Also even more importantly it shows the
exploitative nature of capitalism in the opinion of Domitila. She advocates for worker’s and
women’s rights, with this situation serving as a case study in the problems with profit-driven and
greedy capitalism.
Unstable Governments
Second, the nature of unstable governments. In Victor’s story this takes the form of the
army that attacks his home village. In almost every instance during his story Victor encounters
army officials with a disposition to quickly change their minds. One such incident occurs when
Victor nearly leaves the area around his village by helicopter, with the assumption that this
meant certain death for him. As they lead Victor to the helicopter it quickly leaves with others
but not him. After this happened twice, the army commander dragging him to the helicopter
angrily remarks that “now it looks like you’ve remained in our hands.”3 Reading through his
entire account, one understands that everything changes spontaneously for Victor. Nothing
becomes certain and everything remains unpredictable. He ended up moments from boarding the
helicopter to his death, but it quickly left without him.
This theme also plays a significant part in Domitila’s story. Throughout her twenty-year
storyline she interacts with and endures oppression by multiple governments. Each government
shares one thing, their unpredictable and unstable nature. However, no matter the government in
place, she fights for socialist and communist reforms. She comments near the end of her story
that they “already had all kinds of governments, ‘nationalist,’ ‘revolutionary,’ ‘Christian,’ with
all kinds of labels.”4 The very fact that she interacts with so many different types of governments
3 Perera, Testimony, 54.
4 Ortiz, Let Me Speak!,228.

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ultimately revealed her main issue throughout the book. While standing up frequently as the head
or participant of the committee of housewives, nothing ever comes of their reforms due to
unstable governments. Domitila wants a communist revolution that seeks for large scale
structural changes instead of dealing with the status quo from each new form of government.
Instability causes nothing but continued oppression in her story, something she detests.
Conclusion
Both the stories of Victor and Domitila show how these two people impacted their
various communities and countries. Two key contributions arise from both of these people. In the
case of Victor, he impacted his community through his perseverance. Everything he endured,
from beatings to torture, to never knowing from one moment to the next his fate, confirms his
fortitude. More importantly he provided a voice for the Mayan people during this time of
genocide. That remains his greatest contribution. Domitila brought two issues to light frequently
throughout her story, women’s rights and socialist reform. She constantly campaigns for the
rights of her fellow women in Bolivia, not only in that country but abroad. Whether trying to
help the mine workers obtain better working conditions and more pay, or fighting to end what
she deems foreign occupation of Bolivia to the interests of capitalist foreign investors, her
greatest contribution to her society becomes determination to stand for the betterment of her
people. Both exemplify the disadvantaged person in a society unwilling to continue to allow such
people continue to exist.