▁not ▁want ▁the ▁workers ▁to ▁be ▁able ▁to ▁read ▁and ▁do ▁arithmetic . ▁For ▁this ▁reason , ▁M endes ▁did ▁not ▁learn ▁to ▁read ▁until ▁he ▁was ▁ 1 8 ▁years ▁old , ▁when ▁he ▁sought ▁out ▁help ▁interpre ting ▁his ▁b ills . ▁ ▁M endes ▁was ▁taught ▁to ▁read ▁and ▁write ▁by ▁a ▁man ▁named ▁Eu cl ides ▁Fernando ▁T áv ora , ▁an ▁activ ist ▁turned ▁rub ber ▁t apper . ▁Most ▁of ▁his ▁practice ▁came ▁from ▁newspaper ▁cli ppings ▁on ▁social ▁and ▁political ▁issues ▁within ▁Brazil . ▁These ▁articles ▁opened ▁Ch ico ’ s ▁eyes ▁to ▁the ▁w ides p read ▁in just ices ▁in ▁society , ▁adding ▁to ▁his ▁diss atisf action ▁with ▁the ▁treatment ▁of ▁ser ing ue iros . ▁ ▁After ▁learning ▁what ▁he ▁could ▁from ▁T áv ora , ▁M endes ▁became ▁a ▁liter acy ▁teacher ▁in ▁hopes ▁of ▁educ ating ▁his ▁community . ▁As ▁his ▁fellow ▁workers ▁became ▁more ▁aware ▁of ▁un just ▁treatment , ▁they ▁formed ▁the ▁R ural ▁Work ers ’ ▁Union , ▁and ▁the ▁more ▁local ized ▁X ap uri ▁Rub ber ▁T app ers ▁Union . ▁Both ▁of ▁these ▁organizations ▁worked ▁through ▁peace ful ▁protest ▁to ▁stop ▁the ▁logging ▁and ▁burning ▁of ▁the ▁rain for est ▁that ▁acted ▁as ▁their ▁liv elihood . ▁ ▁By ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 8 0 s , ▁Ch ico ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁both ▁a ▁radical ▁union ist ▁and ▁an ▁activ ist , ▁though ▁he ▁also ▁ran ▁for ▁several ▁local ▁political ▁positions ▁such ▁as