He wanted to go to that school badly and I didn’t want him to. I had a premonition something bad was going to happen there. But he said he wanted to go to study, how can a mom say no to that? Initially he wanted to study to be a doctor, but for a poor person, how can that ever be possible? So, he decided to be a teacher and now, well we all know about what happened now.
- María de los Ángeles Molina
Cheerful, strong and hardworking. Marco Antonio Gómez Molina is from the San Antonio neighborhood of Tixtla, Guerrero. He has five siblings but the older ones emigrated for work, so he is closest with his younger brother Luis. The brothers are very attached to their mother, since their father, who lived in Mexico City as a bricklayer, died when they were adolescents. At home, Marco Antonio made the tortillas, helped his mother by washing the dishes and making food, played music and danced. He happily assumed the role of big brother, and although they sometimes fought, he was always there when Luis needed advice, guidance or help with his studies. Marco Antonio woke his brother up every morning and made sure he got to school on time. His discipline was always full of affection and he wanted to see his brother become self-sufficient. Their mother, María de los Ángeles Molina is a maid, and because her salary is not sufficient for all the family’s needs, the brothers took care of their own expenses. Marco Antonio worked in construction and then as a mechanic in an automotive workshop in order to finance his high school studies at the National College of Professional and Technical Education (Conalep.)
Marco Antonio is skilled in math and physics, and after graduating high school, he insisted on continuing to study, with the dream of becoming a teacher of physical education. He has always been athletic and physically strong. When he was younger he would play soccer after school with his friends which would make him late arriving home. He explained his tardiness by saying he was doing his homework at school, but neither his mother or brother were fooled. During the week of testing at Ayotzinapa, his classmates were impressed by how agile he was climbing the rocky walls of the school grounds. His brother Luis says “he walks with little steps, like dancing.”
At Ayotzinapa, Marco Antonio joined the Casa Activista, the group of students who are prepared to become members of the committee that runs the school. Having no previous political knowledge, he quickly immersed himself in readings and learned to become a public speaker.
