Concepción Ramírez

María de la Concepción Ramírez Mendoza (8 March 1942 – 10 September 2021 ) was a peace activist from Guatemala, whose portrait appears on the Guatemalan 25 centavo coin, known as the choca.

Biography Ramírez was born on 8 March 1942 in Santiago Atitlán, a town in the department of Sololá. Her father was an evangelical preacher and her mother taught her traditional crafts at home. In 1965 she married Miguel Ángel Reanda Sicay and they went on to have six children. People refer to her portrait as the "woman of the choca" and is recognised by people across the country.

Ramírez was a spokesperson for Tz'utujil culture and was passionate about keeping its traditions and language alive.

In 2018, Ramírez was awarded a pension by the state, as recognition for her life's achievements.

Activism

Guatemala has a violent political past, and her family was affected by it: on 7 January 1980, her father was tortured to death with 27 other people. On 22 May 1990, her husband was murdered with three other people in a wave of political violence. and in the delivery of a document related to the internal armed conflict.

On 8 March 2016, the General Sub-Directorate for Crime Prevention of the National Civil Police in Santiago Atitlán paid tribute to her on her 74th birthday.

Awards

Municipal Order of the Tzutujil Kingdom (2019)