Description: A study of the political and cultural formation of one of Guatemala's indigenous communities that explores the nationalization of ethnicity, the preservation of Mayan identity, and the formation of a brutally repressive state.
Review Quotes: "Anyone interested in Latin American history will enjoy this myth-and-stereotype-shattering study of Mayan cultural and national identity as it has evolved over centuries in one region of Guatemala, 'Los Altos.' Thick with novelistic detail and anecdote, brilliantly and imaginatively researched, totally engrossing in its melding of convincing analysis and strong narrative sweep, Grandin takes us to a 'high placee' and guides us back over the tangled, treacherous paths that led there."--Francisco Goldman