The Indigenous Peoples of Mesoamerica and Central America: Their Societies, Cultures, and Histories

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Description

In The Indigenous Peoples of Mesoamerica and Central America, Robert Carmack focuses on Kiche 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

Reviews

With 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

Author Bio

Robert Carmack is retired professor of anthropology at the University at AlbanySUNY.