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Author and photographer Peter Perkins gives readers an in-depth look at the geology, climate, and people of the past and present Guatemala. There are three sections in the book as follows: The Maya, The Conquest, and The Naturales. Each section contains a wealth of information on each subject followed by beautiful photographs of the land and people of Guatemala, all of which were taken by the author himself. Poetry provided by the poets of Guatemala give each photograph a very special meaning. ... Read more

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Gender is central to the organization and functioning of Guatemalan society. In many Guatemalan communities, men work within the public and political domain while indigenous women's participation in rural highland communities is usually identified in the context of community development. Spanish-language illiteracy, family power relations, and a machismo culture have limited or EXCLUDED the public and political participation of women. At the extreme, Guatemalan women are targeted for murder and mutilation in rural and urban areas -- a phenomenon called femicide/feminicide -- simply for being women 'out of place'. In the mainly rural department of Huehuetenango, something else is going on. The organization Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres Huehuetecas (ADIMH) is working towards the INCLUSION of women into the public domain for the betterment of their communities through literacy, education, health, and production projects. In this book, we document the struggles and successes of Huehuetenango women, Huehuetecas, as they work towards community rebuilding after the 36-year internal armed conflict. Based upon our observations we agree with the participants that women's empowerment, as a form of community development, is integral for the future of their communities. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from The Humanist, published by American Humanist Association on March 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1950 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The heart of Q'eqchi' culture: "ma sa laa ch'ool?" Are you happy in your heart? "Sa lin ch'ool." Yes, I am happy in my heart.(The stain of war on culture: first of a series)
Author: Michelle Bargo
Publication: The Humanist (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 2005
Publisher: American Humanist Association
Volume: 65Issue: 2Page: 23(3)

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Have you ever wanted to visit Book of Mormon lands? Join travelers Daniel Johnson, Jared Cooper, and Derek Gasser as they explore Mesoamerica and compare archeological records to the Book of Mormon accounts.Discover which sites are easily accessible and which are not, as well as how to get there and what to look for. At each site, the authors explain how archeology may tie the site to events in the Book of Mormon.From Guatemala to Mexico to Honduras, explore the Mayan cities tucked away in the jungles and mountains of Mesoamerica - some well known, others not. Discover the true history of these ancient cultures according to recent archeological findings, and see what exciting and little-known similarities to the Book of Mormon accounts can be found upon closer inspection.Extensively researched and filled with detailed color photographs, An LDS Guide to Mesoamerica contains the latest mainstream archeological opinions. For the first time, this information has been brought together and organized on a site-by-site basis so that whether you are at home or out in the jungles of Mesoamerica, you will find yourself on a successful, inspirational, and unforgettable journey. ... Read more

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A stand-alone memoir that continues Martin Prechtel's story and explores the Tzutujil Mayan concept of initiation and its relevance to our contemporary world.

"The Mayan gods, who hold eloquence above all else, must surely be pleased with this soul, who in this lifetime is named Mart'n Prechtel."--Clarissa Pinkola Estes

In Secrets of the Talking Jaguar, Martin Prechtel told of his fourteen years as a shaman in the ancient Mayan village of Santiago Atitlan. Now he continues his story, describing his role as village chief and initiator and examining the complexity of the Mayan religious and social universe against a backdrop of political and social intrigue.

During the period in which this book is set (the 1970s), Guatemala was in the midst of a brutal civil war. Prechtel's coming-of-age memoir relates his personal experience of the war, describing how Guatemala's ruling government outlawed the thousand-year-old traditional rites of the Maya, leading to the dissolution of Santiago Atitlan and ultimately forcing Prechtel to flee the country in fear for his life.

It's an amazing tale--and Prechtel is a spellbinding storyteller. His writing has been acclaimed as "colorful and revelatory in its insights . . . leagues beyond any ethnography I've ever read" (Common Boundary). At once a page-turner and a profound work of cultural anthropology, Long Life, Honey in the Heart makes a lasting contribution to our understanding of one of humankind's most significant ancient civilizations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Prechtel's prose is beautiful but this is difficult to get your teeth into
Prechtel's prose is beautiful but this is difficult to get your teeth into. If you can persist with it, then it is rewarding as it travels the gamut of shamanic experience, and is wildly entertaining at times. However, there are drawbacks. It is very long, and the pace sometimes tedious. It's a pity this wasn't edited better. Overall, a good introduction to shamanism. I would recommend starting with Patrice Some instead.

Each on for the benefit of all
Modern society has us born and abandonded.It does not take any interest in us unless we make lots of money or achieve some kind of fame.We have little purpose in it except to make money for others and that is pretty much the extent of it:nothing else is demanded of us.

Martin Prechtel's book describes a society where giving is more important than receiving, working together for a common cause of spiritual value rather than material value, opposed on both sides by the materialist communists and capitalists, neither of whom can see any value in their old ways of initiation.

Yet the initition creates a person of far greater value than those who sought to destroy it.Whether or not the reader can share the beliefs of the Tzutujil Maya, and for a modern reader it is of course difficult, the result of this system of society is the creation of real human beings, lives not devoid of meaning and afloat on a sea of worthlessness, but deeply intertwined with the living processes of the world, each one feeling that they contribute to the story of life, that they have value and love.

The difficult and dangerous passage of initiation that the adolescents of the village undergo to bring the goddess back to life gives them an inner power and wisdom that stays with them for the rest of their lives, meaning that they don't become disruptive, lost and alienated from the world but an integral part.

It is a shame to me that our modern societies, whatever their political system, cannot operate more in this way.Not to live exactly like they used to - before the modern societies imposed themselves -but to realise what they achieved and how it can benefit our cast-adrift generations.

I have given this book five stars because it offers a way out of the ever-tightening spiral of anguish that drives even the pleasures of modern life and it does so without preaching or spite.There are humourous passages throughout as well as more serious tracts.It is about the joy and beauty of life.

JUST AS GREAT AS HIS OTHER BOOKS!
This is the third book I've read by Martin Prechtel. I wish there were 5 more to read. He is an excellent wordsmith and his experience with the Maya people of Lake Atitlan is much needed in these troubled times.

BLESS YOU MARTIN
We saw Martin speak in Ashland, Oregon, and bought his books. they are nectar foods for the soul. nothing else like his writing, he will transport you with language to a place in your brain beyond language. Savory, delicious, honest, wildly reverent. but it and read it. then quit your job.

A glimpse of a loving and healthy world
Prechtel's retelling of his life as a part of a society based on ancient tribal traditions.It gives a rare glimpse of mankind caring for its own.A tale of a culture striving for health and balance between neighbors, generations, mankind and nature.It is a beautiful tale of human beauty dashed by the motion of time in the hands of modern man.As sad as it is to see the outcome I find these people living within me as a reminder of what society can accomplish when it is rooted in respect, dignity and love. ... Read more

Product Description
The granddaughters of Ixmucane are Guatemalan women who have survived violence and terror, women who have dedicated to Guatemala's struggles for liberation."Smith-Ayala's collection of testimonies by Guatemalan women is valuable." - Globe and Mail ... Read more