Description: Time Commences in Xibalbá tells the story of a violent village crisis in Guatemala sparked by the return of a prodigal son, Pascual. He had been raised tough by a poor, single mother in the village before going off with the military. When Pascual comes back, he is changed--both scarred and "enlightened" by his experiences. To his eyes, the village has remained frozen in time. After experiencing alternative cultures in the wider world, he finds that he is both comforted and disgusted by the village's lingering "indigenous" characteristics.
Review Quotes: "Luis de Lión's novel is an exceptional text. It is one of a few truly valuable additions to a transcultural canon that would include works such as those by José María Arguedas, Rulfo, and Asturias."--Juan E. De Castro, author of Mestizo Nations: Culture, Race, and Conformity in Latin American Literature