For Every Indio Who Falls: A History of Maya Activism in Guatemala, 1960-1990 by Betsy Konefal (review)
In terms of criticism, this reviewer would have appreciated explicit dates for each entry. Moreover, examples of the internecine land conflicts among Mayan communities as well as intra-community factionalism and class conflict would have helped to show why the strategy of divide-and-conquer worked so well long after the conquest, and why the emergence of pan-Maya consciousness was so significant. The volume contains its share of typos, contradictory or erroneous passages, and unexplained references. But these are minor shortcomings, and it is remarkable that a collective effort of this complexity and magnitude does not exhibit more. Significantly, none of these issues undermines the overall objective: to represent Guatemala's reality as accurately as the evidence allows. Sadly, such efforts will not be helped by the decision of Guatemala's current president, Otto Perez Molina, to eviscerate the country's inspirationally named Archivo de la Paz just as it has begun to shed additional light on nearly a century of state secrecy, repression, and impunity.