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Though she is just a maid working in the home of a wealthy Guatemala City landowner, Candelaria manages to resist and rebel against those who assume power over her. She has an enormous impact on Rigoberta, proving to her that something as simple as cleaning can be infused with revolution. Though she has assumed a ladino identity, Candelaria retains her sense of self. She protects Rigoberta from the conniving mistress for whom they work, and when Rigoberta’s father comes to ask for money, Candelaria talks the mistress into contributing. Candelaria appears in I, Rigoberta Menchú just before Rigoberta must tap into her own rebellious nature. In many ways, Rigoberta inherits some of Candelaria’s traits as she presses forth as an activist in the CUC.

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