Guatemalan History

In this course we will study Guatemalan history from pre-Columbian times until the present. Although Guatemala reproduces many of the conditions typical of Latin America during the past 500 years, it is also different because of its Mayan population. Despite the Spanish conquest, Maya culture never disappeared. Today the majority of Guatemalans are Maya: they speak their own languages, they worship deities maintaining links with 4,000 years of Maya cultural tradition, and in many different ways they define themselves as a unique culture. Approximately half of the course will deal with Guatemalan history before the 20th century, and the other half will focus on the 20th century. This course is cross-listed with HIST 370.