Product Description

Blase Bonpane has lived and worked with the realities of liberation theology for more than a quarter of a century. In Guerrillas of Peace, Bonpane takes the reader from the high country of Huehuetenango in Guatemala to intensive grass roots organizing in the United States. He shows that we cannot renew the face of the earth and coexist with the torturing, murdering governments of Guatemala and El Salvador, and their accomplices in Washington. We cannot say the Lord's Prayer and fail to do the will of God on earth.

A new person is being formed. This person, this revolutionary person insists that human values be applied to government. This leads to a ruthless and revolutionary conclusion...children should not be free to die of malnutrition, no one should be allowed to die of polio or malaria, women should not be free to be prostitutes, no one should be free to be illiterate. The loss of these freedoms is essential for a people to make their own history. This is the Theology of Liberation, the kind of theology that made the early Church an immediate threat to the Roman Empire.—from the Introduction

Product Description
This is an OCR edition without illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Original Published by: antbase.org in 1912 in 38 pages; Subjects: Natural history; Nicaragua; Natural history Nicaragua; Nicaragua Description and travel; Biography ... Read more

Product Description
The political upheaval in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala had a devastating human toll at the end of the twentieth century. A quarter of a million people died during the period 1974-1996. Many of those who survived the wars chose temporary refuge in neighboring countries such as Honduras and Costa Rica. Others traveled far north, to Mexico, the United States, and Canada in search of safety. Over two million of those who fled Central America during this period settled in these three countries.
In this incisive book, María Cristina García tells the story of that migration and how domestic and foreign policy interests shaped the asylum policies of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. She describes the experiences of the individuals and non-governmental organizations--primarily church groups and human rights organizations--that responded to the refugee crisis, and worked within and across borders to shape refugee policy. These transnational advocacy networks collected testimonies, documented the abuses of states, re-framed national debates about immigration, pressed for changes in policy, and ultimately provided a voice for the displaced.
García concludes by addressing the legacies of the Central American refugee crisis, especially recent attempts to coordinate a regional response to the unique problems presented by immigrants and refugees--and the challenges of coordinating such a regional response in the post-9/11 era. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Many thanks to Maria Cristina Garcia
I used to believe the standard myths of US society, about how we are the champions of democracy and the greatest country in the world.The evidence was that so many people were coming here to enjoy our greatness.As it turns out, the story is a little more complicated and a lot less flattering than the usual narrative.My political perspectives started to change when I met an immigrant from El Salvador.He was a soldier in El Salvador's brutal government military, which was funded by, and served as a proxy for, the US empire.
The societies of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua have been devastated by decades of US intervention that has included overthrows, political assassinations, genocide of indigenous people, oppression of labor and peasant organizers, embargos, neoliberal corporatism and so forth.Given all of this injustice, I think it's great that some Central Americans are coming to the U.S. and Canada and are finding a way to survive, some are even prospering.I consider it to be a sort of war "reparations," a debt that the U.S. owes to Central American people.
Turning the Tide: U.S. Intervention in Central America and the Struggle for Peace

If the immigrant-bashers were to listen to the stories of the people they are demonizing, I believe they'd lose a lot of their resentful attitudes.Not only should U.S. citizens feel shame over their country's relations toward Latin America, we should feel gratitude over the many economic and cultural contributions Latin Americans are making towards our country."Seeking Refuge" does a wonderful job of filling that gap in our understanding of why it is Central Americans are coming here.We need to see immigration as the humanitarian crisis that it often is, a crisis that has been exacerbated by policies created in D.C. and on Wall Street - ie, the passage of NAFTA.
It is often pointed out that Mexico is even more harsh toward Central American immigrants than the U.S. is.While that is true, we should keep in mind that Mexico is carrying out policies that the U.S. pressures for.National Geographic - Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary
In this era of the criminalization of economic refugees, the building of more detention centers and a hi-tech wall (a subsidy to war profiteers like Lockheed Martin and Boeing), "Seeking Refuge" demands that U.S. citizens look themselves in the mirror, and take responsibility for the welfare of our brothers and sisters in Central America.

See also Romero Salvador (Special Edition) and When the Mountains Tremble

"Between individuals as between nations, peace is respect for the rights of others." -Benito Juarez ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the religious beliefs and legends of the Mexican and Central American Indians in pre-Hispanic times. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An informative primer, if a bit dated and naiive
One has to give credit to Ms. Nicholson for taking on the daunting task of giving an introduction to not simply Mayan and Aztec religion, but to Central-American mythology as a whole.Nicholson draws upon a variety ofsources to present a guide to the ancient cultures, the rituals and tenetsof the various religious systems, and a fair sampling of the art,handcrafts and architecture that make the ancient cultures of CentralAmerica so fascinating.Even so, Nicholson seems to have a tendency toforce her own ideologies on these belief-systems, characterizing the godQuetzalcoatl as a Christ figure, for example, or by comparing his warriorcult of the jaguars to the Knights Templar.At other places, Nicholsoncomes across as naiive, especially when her conclusions are compared withthe results of contemporary archeological findings.Her premise that theMayans were fundamentally peaceful and opposed to the idea of humansacrifice is discredited by strong evidence to the contrary.And herconclusion, for example, that the recumbent Chac-mul statue at the templeof the warriors at Chichen-Itza bears a hollow area in order to collectrainwater is laughable in light of recent findings which conclusively provethat its true purpose was to catch the hearts of victims of human sacrificeduring blood/fertility rituals.More reliable data on the Mayans can befound in Michael D. Coe's "The Maya." ... Read more

Product Description
In an analysis of recent immigration patterns inWashington, D.C., Terry A. Repak documents the unusual predominance ofwomen among Central American immigrants. Two thirds of the arrivingimmigrants in earlier decades have been women, many of them recruitedby international diplomats and U.S. government employees to work ashousekeepers and nannies. Repak considers the labor forceparticipation patterns for women compared to men, the effect ofimmigration laws—particularly the IRCA's uneven impact on womenversus men—and the profound adjustments in gender roles andidentities that accompany migration.

Showing an extraordinary amount of autonomy, most of these immigrantwomen decided to migrate without consulting either fathers orpartners, and they gained even greater independence oncesettled. Repak plots the career trajectories of numerous CentralAmerican immigrant women and men to illustrate the array of thewomen's responses, gender differences in the migration andassimilation experience, the availability of work, and the possibilityfor upward mobility and higher wages. Providing social, economic andpolitical context, she looks at the conditions that set the stage forthis migration, including the rapid expansion of service jobs in the1960s and 1970s in Washington, D. C. and the political strife in suchCentral American countries as war-torn El Salvador, Nicaragua, andGuatemala. ... Read more

Product Description
A look at a Latin American city traces the development of fictional city based on actual towns in Mexico and Central America, discussing history, anthropology, city planning, culture, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An excellent book for the study of the evolution of Central American cities over time
San Rafael is a fictitious city whose location is between Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Guatemala. This book is a historical description of the changes in the city starting with the first clearing of the jungle, through the rise of the Mayan civilization, Spanish conquest and control, post-independence political and social instability to the rise of a modern industrial metropolis.
Fourteen historical epochs are examined and for each there is a textual description of the main social and political structure and specific problems. There are also four diagrams, one a two-page layout of the city, a second that is a depiction of the people going about their daily lives, one that is a small layout of the city with highlights on the main structures, and a small one that demonstrates a specific item in the city at that time. All of the last three types of diagrams also have accompanying explanatory captions.
This book is an excellent supplementary text for the study of Central America. By going through the historical phases of a city, you learn how urban life in that region has evolved over thousands of years.

Very good illustrations and descriptions of daily life.
Wow!This book is great.I have used it in my ninth grade geography classroom as an introduction to research.The kids really enjoy the pictures, and it provides a focused look at the development of civilization on the Yucatan Peninsula.This is also a great book for readers as young as ten. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

SHOULD BE UPDATED
This book should be updated i.e.maps ,ranges and new info on the species it covers that we have learned over the 50 past years.It was quite an undertaking in 1959 and would be now.I wish someone or a group of biologists would updated it!It is invaluable,it covers everything in its target area. Maybe the species paintings could be improved or use photos.I have two copies and keep one in my vehicle.

Best Guide ever owned
Agree with "limestone9"; this book is undeniably the best wildlife guide I have ever owned. Purchased it as a 10 year when it first was published in 1959. Still reference it regularly and these days I pack it whenever I travel, in the woods or even on business trips. Some range maps a little out of date in the 1959 version, but still the best. "ret1re"

Perfect compact hiking companion
Like packing a laptop, this 650-page book covers every creature an East Coast nature lover could encounter, from starfish and sharks to rabbits and walruses.Very easy to identify your sighting with numerous color plates and vivid descriptions.Author, Collins, offers own observations and challenges the reader with unexpected wit and wisdom seldom found in nature books.40 years old and shamefully out-of-print, if you find a copy, hold on to it! ... Read more

Product Description
Find out how the Aztec, Maya, Mixtecs, Tarascans and Olmecs lived - explore the excitement of the sacred ballgame, the cult of violence, the drama of ritual sacrifice, and the sacred culture of the land of the sun god. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Interesting information
I picked this book just as a fun read, because it was new at the time and written by a major author on the subject. It was really well done and it seemed more or a picture book than written book. Perfect for my first archeology casual read.

This is not really meant to be a complaint, just an observation. Parts of it was hard to read because there was a lot of information about who came from where. Of course that had to be a part of it, but when you're trying to read it, it all runs together. xyz came from xzy and on and on. Since the nouns of the different peoples and locations are all from another language, it was really hard to follow. There were plenty of maps but still hard to follow.

The other thing I noticed about reading it was how many other questions I still had, which wasn't answered. For example, it comes to mind that I would have liked to know more about Cortez. But then, that wasn't the focus of the book. This book is about the everyday life. I guess I'll read another book.

All in all a very well done book about---the title says it all. Some of the information was amazing and fascinating. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

MISSION, PRAXIS, SKILLS AND ORGANIZING MORE NEEDED NOW THAN EVER
The Bible tells us to shelter the alien in our midst, to comfort the homeless and lost, the refugee, the widow and the orphan. Not only as a Work of Mercy but as a Commandment renewed and expanded in the NEw Covenant with Jesus Christ.

This book shows us how, reporting the discussions of a symposium in Tuscon twenty years ago, with opening remarks by self proclaimed refugee Elie Weisel.

It is a family value, Bush recently said, for us to care for keeping even foreign families together, working and fed. We may question his corporate subtext, but here in this text we may read the heartfelt commitment and biblical explications closely examined and discussed in Arizona twenty years ago, well edited by the great journalist and Catholic Gary MacEoin.

Many well remembered and honoured names emerge among the speakers, including Robert McAfee Brown, among others who speak of the theological and scriptural dimensions of the necessity of providing sanctuary to those seeking shelter from persecution. Francis X. Murphy, Yvonne Dilling and others provide an historical background to the Sanctuary movement. A variety of presenters, including the well-informed and articulate editor, provide the basis in ethical, legal and human rights concerns, followed by statements by immigrating refugees themselves seeking asylum as well as protection for themselves and their families from the US INS which callously and unjustly and against the word of God would return them to the same poverty, violence and death they flee.

The final reflections come from the great prophetic voices of Jim Wallis, Rev. William SLoane Coffin and Jim Corbett. Let us read these words now in our present day, a generation later, in a deeper mire, and see our way back to the light, hand in hand with all of our human family. These words are manna in this desert, a sip of cool water, a courage and a strength on this lonesome journey which we must all take together unto God's Kingdom, which we reach only by assisting our wandering and persecuted brothers and sisters, who help us in turn discover our own distractable path.

Please read this book, which once long ago sat upon every known coffee table, especially at this current very low price which makes it truly a generous gift of grace and of sustenance far too good to deny. ... Read more

Product Description
The second-largest Latino-immigrant group in Los Angeles after Mexicans, Central Americans have become a remarkable presence in city neighborhoods, with colorful festivals, flags adorning cars, community organizations, as well as vibrant ethnic businesses. The people from Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama living in Los Angeles share many cultural and historical commonalities, such as language, politics, religion, and perilous migratory paths as well as future challenges. The distinctions are also evident as ethnicities, music, and food create a healthy diversity throughout residential locations in Los Angeles. During the 1980s and 1990s, an unprecedented number of new Central Americans arrived in this cosmopolitan city, many for economic reasons while others were escaping political turmoil in their native countries. Today they are part of the ethnic layers that shape the local population. Central Americans have embraced Los Angeles as home and, in doing so, transported their rich heritage and customs to the streets of this multicultural metropolis. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A few comments by one of the contributors.
The chapters in this book were originally written as contributions to a symposium at the 1991 International Congress of Americanists in New Orleans that was organized in honor of the distinguished German archaeologist Wolfgang Haberland. They represent some of the latest scholarship on non-Maya cultures of southern Central America.Many of the contributors are from a younger generation of scholars, with fresh insights into both old and new problems.This book is a "must have" for anyone interested in the ancient cultures of Central America. ... Read more

Product Description
2009 Reprint,updated,printed ""on demand""- Central American Common Market Investment and Business Guide ... Read more