Product Description
For the past ten years Jonathan Moller has photographed communities uprooted by war in Guatemala. The result is Our Culture Is Our Resistance, a collection of portraits taken during that decade, revealing stories of life and death, of hope and despair, and of struggles for survival, respect, and truth. The beauty and strength of Moller's photographs and the accompanying texts not only document and preserve the faces and events associated with this land and its history, but also display for the viewer the humanity and dignity of these largely Mayan indigenous peoples. Featuring one hundred forty-seven tritone portraits, Our Culture Is Our Resistance also includes a preface by Guatemalan Nobel Peace Laureate Rigoberta Menchú Tum;short essays by Ricardo Falla, Francisco Goldman, and Susanne Jonas; and prose and poetry by Humberto Ak'abal, Heather Dean, Julia Esquivel, Eduardo Galeano, Francisco Morales Santos. In addition, the book includes testimonies and reflections by Guatemalan community members and survivors, as well as statements by , Eduardo Galeano, photographer Sebastião Salgado, and William F. Schulz, Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. Among the sponsors and official endorsers of Our Culture Is Our Resistance are Amnesty International, the Soros Foundation, Global Exchange, The Nation Institute, the Photo Review, Witness for Peace, and Cultural Survival. Exhibition at The Redux gallery, New York, November 11-December 1, 2004 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Latin American holocaust
Few US citizens are aware that, just 20 years ago, there was a mass killing that took place in Guatemala to serve elite interests of Western "civilization."It seems the corporate cowboys of the Wild West won't rest until every indigenous population is destroyed.There is hardly a group of people outside of the economic system designed by massive conglomerates that is safe.Civic organizations like "Cultural Survival" and "Amazon Watch" do a great job of showing respect for those humans who have a way of being in the world that, while it doesn't satisfy Wall Street, provides contentment for many people (and important lessons for the rest of humanity).
It's been good to see a resurgence of indigenous activism and solidarity over that past decade, including the election of Evo Morales in Bolivia.
"Our Culture is Our Resistance" is a beautiful book that I purchased during a fundraiser of the Denver Justice and Peace Committee - one of countless groups in the world that are doing important work to create some moments of peace and understanding every now and again.
I was so glad to discover that the text is bilingual, so I'm going to buy additional copies here on Amazon for friends of mine in Latin America, and Spanish-speaking immigrants here in the empire.
As citizens of the world's militaristic superpower, we have an obligation to make some efforts to break down the lack of awareness that creates the climate for injustice.

"While in Guatemala, I saw clearly that violence and war caused tremendous pain and left many wounds.Fear and pain still permeate the culture, and the deep psychological and cultural wounds have already begun to pass to a new generation. . . I have come to believe that we must all strive to bring witness to this world, and we must raise our voices in a collective cry for peace with justice for all human beings."
-Jonathan Muller, from the Introduction

As another teaching tool, I'd also recommend the DVD "When the Mountains Tremble."

Powerful images and testimony
This book shows the true power of photography to capture human emotion in all of it's extreme forms. Definitely brings meaning to the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. He captures his subjects in deep and dramatic ways.

Moller the man of mystery
Jonathan Moller is a sexy beast who has a giant heart! ... Read more

Product Description
This special issue of Ethnohistory is a significant contribution to the history and anthropology of the Maya in both Mexico and Guatemala. Utilizing a comparative analytic framework, these essays explore the ethnic dimensions--indigeneity, Indigenismo, mestizaje, racial subjugation--of state formation as well as state practice in indigenous regions. The contributors emphasize how the material aspects of state formation--roads and infrastructure; model villages; restored ruins; portrait photography; highland marketplaces; modern improvements; traditional cultural performances, artifacts, and dress--become theaters for the construction and reconstruction of ethnic and political entities and relationships. Taken as a whole, the collection challenges a tendency toward the segmentation of the discussion of the Maya into distinct disciplines (anthropology and history), national historiographies (Mexican and Guatemalan), and, within Mexico, distinct regional historiographies (Yucatán and Chiapas).

Contributors: David Carey Jr., Paul K. Eiss, Ben Fallaw, Stephen E. Lewis, Walter E. Little, John Watanabe ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Cultural Geography, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 563 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: Nature, Culture, and Big Old Trees: Live Oaks and Ceibas in the Landscapes of Louisiana and Guatemala.(Book Review)
Author: Reece Jones
Publication: Journal of Cultural Geography (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 23Issue: 1Page: 142(2)

Article Type: Book Review

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"Dr. Anderson convincingly demonstrates why big old trees loom large in our cultural stories and individual imaginations: they are landmarks, benchmarks through time, and cultural talismans or touchstones. . . . Anderson is an engaging writer who delights in her subject; her enthusiasm is contagious."--Gary Paul Nabhan, Director, Center for Sustainable Environments, Northern Arizona University, FlagstaffBig old trees inspire our respect and even affection. The poet Walt Whitman celebrated a Louisiana live oak that was solitary "in a wide flat space, / Uttering joyous leaves all its life without a friend a lover near." Groves and alleys of live oaks remain as distinctive landscape features on Louisiana's antebellum plantations, while massive individuals still cast their shade over churches, graveyards, parks, and roads. Cajuns have adopted the "Evangeline Oak" as one of their symbols. And the attachment that Louisianians feel for live oaks is equaled by that of Guatemalans for ceibas, the national tree of Guatemala. Long before Europeans came to the Americas, the ceiba, tallest of all native species, was the Mayan world tree, the center of the universe. Today, many ceibas remain as centers of Guatemalan towns, spreading their branches over the central plaza and marketplace. In this compelling book, Kit Anderson creates a vibrant portrait of the relationship between people and trees in Louisiana and Guatemala. Traveling in both regions, she examined and photographed many old live oaks and ceibas and collected the stories and symbolism that have grown up around them. She describes who planted the trees and why, how the trees have survived through many human generations, and the rich meanings they hold for people today. Anderson also recounts the natural history of live oaks and ceibas to show what human use of the landscape has meant for the trees. This broad perspective, blending cultural geography and natural history, adds a new dimension to our understanding of how big old trees and the places they help create become deeply meaningful, even sacred, for human beings. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Countries and Their Cultures, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 3500 words.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.Covers the broad range of popular religious culture of the United States at the close of the twentieth century. Beliefs, practices, symbols, traditions, movements, organizations, and leaders from the many traditions in the pluralistic American community are represented. Also includes cults and phenomena that drew followers, such as Heaven's Gale and UFOs. ... Read more

Product Description
The icons documented in this handsome volume appear in many physical forms, ranging from life-size to half an inch tall. They reflect a belief system deeply rooted in the ancient Mayan religion of Guatemala and influenced by centuries of superimposed Christianity. The objects whose photographs appear here are collected as ethnographic folk art by aficionados but they, and the saints they represent, are a living part of Guatemalan culture.

Guatemala’s Folk Saints is a rich mélange of observation, interviews, and photographs that combine to give a vivid and intimate portrait of this particular variety of syncretic Christianity. Including extensive information on altars, prayers, and the pantheon of the saints themselves, the book focuses on an entity known both as Maximon and San Simon, a spiritual representative to whom any kind of request can be made. Although petitioners are usually encouraged to pray only for "good causes," San Simon can also be enlisted to get rid of evil spells or even to cast one.

San Simon may be a bundle of woven textile topped with a hat or a life-size figure with his face hidden behind a mask and designer sunglasses. He may wear cowboy boots or be covered in petitioners’ offerings of silk scarves. Clouded in incense and addressed in indigenous dialects, he is Mayan. Addressed in Spanish, his Christian veneer becomes clear.

Other chapters address Rey Pascual (a skeletal deity), the Ajitz Judas, Lucifer, Don Diego, and San Gregorio. The book includes a glossary and bibliography. This unique documentation of modern Mayan culture will be of interest to scholars, collectors, and travelers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A respectful account, displaying numerous and wondrous works
Guatemala's Folk Saints: Maximon/san Simon, Rey Pascual, Judas, Lucifer, And Others compiled and written by ethnographic expert Jim Pieper is a beautifully presented reference, illustrated cover to cover with full-color photographs focusing on the history, religion, philosophy, celebrations, effigies, and much more, about the "folk saints" held by the people of Guatemala, and a religion with its roots blending Mayan beliefs with Christian theology. A respectful account, displaying numerous and wondrous works of religious folk art, dolls representing saints, Guatemala's Folk Saints is a unique cross-examination of belief and art which is highly recommended for academic reference collections and supplemental reading lists. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Presbyterian Record, published by Presbyterian Record on October 1, 2002. The length of the article is 484 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: Encuentro in Guatemala looks at gospel and culture. (News).
Author: Geoff Johnston
Publication: Presbyterian Record (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2002
Publisher: Presbyterian Record
Volume: 126Issue: 9Page: 22(1)

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Chapters: Archaeological Sites in Guatemala, Bilbao, Balberta, Montana, Monte Alto Culture, Kinal, Mokaya. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 38. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Bilbao is a Mesoamerican archaeological site about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the modern town of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa in the Escuintla department of Guatemala. The site lies among sugar plantations on the Pacific coastal plain and its principal phase of occupation is dated to the Classic Period. Bilbao was a major centre belonging to the Cotzumalhuapa culture with its main occupation dating to the Late Classic (c. AD 600800). Bilbao is the former name of the plantation on which the site lies and from which it has derived its name. Bilbao lies of the outskirts of Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa, situated approximately 370 metres (1,210 ft) above mean sea level. The archaeological sites of Bilbao, El Baúl and El Castillo were all parts of the same urban centre that extended over about 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi). This extended urban area is known as the Cotzumalhuapa Nuclear Zone by archaeologists and Bilbao lies in the sourthernmost part of this area. The urban growth of modern Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa has expanded to the edge of the monumental architecture of the site. The dominant geographical feature close to the Cotzumalhaupa Nuclear Zone is the Volcán de Fuego, one of the most active volcanoes in the world, its crater rising to an altitude of 3,835 metres (12,582 ft) above mean sea level at only a distance of about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Bilbao itself. The activity of the volcano must have impacted upon the population of the site, which must regularly have suffered from falls of volcanic ash, affecting agriculture, transport routes and perishable dwellings. Bilbao was occupied since the Preclassic a...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=24537733 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1425 words.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.Provides comprehensive coverage of the foods and recipes of approximately 75 cultural groups from more than 60 countries. Entries provide 10-15 recipes for each group and include data on the agriculture and dietary habits of each group as well as an overview of each group's nutrition and health. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, published by Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies on October 1, 2009. The length of the article is 8432 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: La democratie se repand de plus en plus dans le monde, mais le developpement de celle-ci a produit des nouveaux defis et questions sur la validite de la democratie liberale dans des societes ou des segments importants de la population ne partagent pas les valeurs et le mode de vie occidental. Cet article explore si les valeurs democratiques et la conduite politique varient entre les deux principaux groupes ethniques du Guatemala, les Ladinos et les Mayas. En utilisant un cadre d'analyse resultant de la science politique et des donnees provenant d`enquetes d'opinion, cet article examine les differences individuelles par rapport a l'appui a la democratie, la prevalence de valeurs autoritaires et la participation politique. Les modeles d'analyse statistique <> montrent qu'il y a des differences minimales entre les deux groupes ethniques et que ce sont plutot d'autres variables qui expliquent les variations entre les populations, en particulier, le sexe, le niveau scolaire, la perception de la corruption dans le gouvernement et l' insecurite. Bref, les resultats montrent qu'il ne semble pas y avoir une division ethnique au Guatemala par rapport aux mesures communement utilisees dans les enquetes academiques dans le monde pour evaluer la culture democratique.

Citation Details
Title: Perceptions of democracy in Guatemala: an ethnic divide?(Report)
Author: Dinorah Azpuru
Publication: Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2009
Publisher: Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Volume: 34Issue: 67Page: 105(26)

Article Type: Report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more