Description
Book SynopsisIn The Indigenous Peoples of Mesoamerica and Central America, Robert Carmack focuses on K'iche' natives of Guatemala, Masayan peoples of Nicaragua, and the native peoples of Buenos Aires and Costa Rica. Starting with Christopher Columbus' proclaimed discovery of Central America, Carmack illustrates the Central American native peoples' dramatic struggles for survival, native languages, and unique communities and states. Carmack draws on the fieldwork that he has conducted over the past fifty years to highlight the diversity of the Central American peoples, cultures, and histories, and to explain their significance relative to other native peoples of the world. This book is recommended for scholars of anthropology, Latin American studies, history, and sociology
Trade ReviewWith case studies from Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica, Carmack adeptly analyzes how Central American indigenous peoples shaped their social and natural worlds from the long pre-Hispanic era to the present. Taken together, his conclusions demonstrate the myriad ways indigenous people continue to influence their nations. -- David Carey Jr., Loyola University Maryland
This book is an eloquent description of the indigenous peoples and cultures of Mesoamerica and Central America by one of the great scholars of our time. It is the fruit of more than half a century of work in the region and will no doubt be consulted often for many years to come. -- Allen Christenson, Bringham Young University
Table of ContentsChapter 1: The Spaniards Discover Aboriginal Central America Chapter 2: Native Peoples of the Three Major Pre-Hispanic Central American Socio-Cultural Regions Chapter 3: Central American Native Peoples at the Time of Spanish Contact Chapter 4: Mesoamerican Influence on and Ties with Central America’s Native American Peoples Chapter 5: Case Study 1: The K’iche’-Mayan Peoples of Guatemala Chapter 6: Case Study 2: Masaya and the Indigenous Peoples of Nicaragua Chapter 7: Case Study 3: Buenos Aires and the Native Peoples of Costa Rica Chapter 8: The Lasting Legacy of the Central American Native Peoples
