Lucila Godoy Alcayaga, known to the world of letters as “Gabriela Mistral,” was born on April 7, 1889, in Vicuña, in the small Elqui valley of northern Chile.Her father, Jerónimo Godoy Vilanueva, married the widow Petronila Alcayaga de Molina, who had a fifteen-year old daughter, Emelina, by her first marriage. Jerónimo Godoy was a strange man – vagabond, poet, and former theological student – who was at that time an elementary school teacher in the village of La Unión.Little Lucila’s heritage was a mixed one: Indian and perhaps Jewish on her father’s side, Basque on her mother’s. From her father too she inherited a talent for poetry, stirrings of religious feeling, and a wandering, anti-bourgeois spirit; from her mother, physical beauty and an artistic temperament.

          When she was barely three years old, her father deserted their home and never returned. Her mother and half-sister, Emelina, dedicated themselves completely to the care and education of the child. Since both were teachers, they gave her primary instruction and, in addition, supported the household with what they earned. 

          Up to 1901, Lucila’s childhood was spent in the narrow Andean valley, in constant touch with the land and with nature’s beings all about her.She spent long hours in the orchard, talking to the birds and the animals, gazing at the clouds, the stars, and the constantly changing waters of the river.She was a timid, quiet child given to dreaming. On Sundays, her paternal grandmother would read passages from the Bible and her mother and sister would tell her stories.She was extremely fond of imaginative literature and poetic and musical folklore; the readings from the Bible left a profound impression on her spirit and on her poetry. 

         Emelina was her first teacher. She took Lucila to school with her and taught her reading, writing, and her very first concepts of geography and history. At school Lucila’s timidity and withdrawn character created difficulties for her. Her teachers thought her dull; some of them advised her mother to train her for domestic duties. Her classmates took advantage of her, but she never complained nor did she ever say a word in her own defense. Once in Vicuña, Lucila acted as aide and secretary to a blind teacher who put her in charge of distributing class materials; since she intended to be absent-minded, the students stole all they could from her.When the teacher discovered the theft, she accused Lucila and expelled her from school. Her classmates, waiting outside, threw stones at her as she passed. This cruel experience marked the end of her childhood. It was an experience that left a lingering, painful imprint on her memory and sensitivity.