Historical Dictionaries of the Americas Historical Dictionary of Guatemala (Hardcover)

Guatemala holds a dual image. For more than a century travel writers explorers and movie producers have painted the country as an exotic place a land of tropical forests and the home of the ancient and living Maya. Archaeological ruins abandoned a millennium ago have enhanced their depictions with a wistful dreamy aura of bygone days of pagan splendor and the unique colorful textiles of rural Maya today connect nostalgically with that distant past. Inspired by that vision fascinated tourists have flocked there for the past six decades. Most have not been disappointed; it is a genuine facet of a complex land. Guatemala is also portrayed as a poor violent repressive country ruled by greedy tyrants with the support of an entrenched elite--the archetypal banana republic. The media and scholarly studies consistently confirm that fair assessment of the social political and economic reality. The Historical Dictionary of Guatemala contains a chronology an introduction and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities politics economy foreign relations religion and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students researchers and anyone wanting to know more about Guatemala.