Spanish Research Guide: Spanish-Speaking Countries

For most of the postcolonial era, the Aymara Indians of highland Bolivia were a group without representation in national politics. Believing that their cause would finally be recognized, the Aymara fought alongside the victorious liberals during the Civil War of 1899. Despite Aymara loyalty, liberals quickly moved to marginalize them after the war. In her groundbreaking study, E. Gabrielle Kuenzli revisits the events of the civil war and its aftermath to dispel popular myths about the Aymara and reveal their forgotten role in the nation-building project of modern Bolivia.

This guide, by a lifelong resident, tells you everything about the history, the culture, the foods, how to get around, the recommended places to stay and eat, plus the activities and adventures, from cooking classes to monkey-spotting in the cloud forests.

Explore the jungles, climb the many volcanoes, swim in the craters, scuba and snorkel the reefs of the Caribbean or the Pacific coast, fish for tarpon. Every adventure is covered where to do it and how. Visit some of the more than 300 islands offshore that make up Las Isletas. Or try snorkeling, diving, fishing, and relaxing on the spectacular white sand beaches the Corn Islands . The recommended places to stay and eat in each price range are thoroughly covered, based on personal visits and in most cases illustrated with color photos.

A unique exploration of modern Argentina, combining narrative historical chapters with a reference section covering the nation's most important cultural figures, places, and events.

Locates the roots of conflict in geographies of inequality that arose during colonial times and were exacerbated by the drive to develop Guatemala's resources in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lines of confrontation were entrenched after a decade of socioeconomic reform between 1944 and 1954 saw modernizing initiatives undone by a military coup backed by U.S. interests and the CIA.

Coverage of the history of the region is up to date with new developments, including the continued struggle in the after-math of the civil wars, the impact of the free trade agreement signed with the United States, and recent elections.

Covers the developments in Mexico. This title includes Mexico's pre-Columbian civilizations as well as contemporary indigenous cultures, the environment, North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the war on the drug cartels.

An overview of the historical events that have taken place and shaped the islands of the Caribbean Sea - beginning with an account of the indigenous populations before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492 and ending with the major political and economic developments in early 2007 in Aruba, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, among others.

This guide contains all the practical travel information you need places to stay and eat, tourist information resources, travel advice, emergency contacts and more plus condensed sections on history and geography that give you good background knowledge of the destination.

Focusing equally on Cuba's role in world affairs and its own social and political transformations, Sweig divides the book chronologically into the pre-Fidel era, the period between the 1959 revolution and the fall of the Soviet Union, the post-Cold War era, and-finally-the looming post-Fidel era.

Diving, hiking, wildlife, parks, tours, getting around, carnivals and celebrations, services, shopping – all are covered in detail.

This work offers the most current coverage on this tiny Latin American nation's struggles, covering from the pre-Columbian era to economics and politics in the 21st Century. Complete with interviews and accounts from former rebels and guerillas and other victims of the country's struggle for freedom, this volume highlights a unique account of El Salvador's past-the viewpoints from the civilians who lived through it.

This book offers a concise yet comprehensive history of Puerto Rico, from the reign of Taino Indians through its centuries as a Spanish colony to its present-day standing as a thriving economic force in Latin America with a unique and ever-evolving relationship with the United States.

Examines the politics, society, economy, and culture of Spain chronologically, focusing on the last two centuries.

Hugo Benavides analyzes how the pre-Hispanic site of Cochasquí has become a source of competing narratives of Native American, Spanish, and Ecuadorian occupations, which serve the differing needs of the nation-state and different national populations at large.

Explores a series of key transformations in Venezuela: a new social economy around a network of co-operatives; workplace democracy; popular education; radical agrarian reform; participatory budgets and community planning. The result is a clear picture of everyday life in Venezuela.

Analyzes the revolutionary pendulum that continues to swing between idealism and pragmatism, focusing on its effects on the everyday lives of the Cuban people, and—bucking established trends in Cuban scholarship—Martínez-Fernández systematically integrates the Cuban diaspora into the larger discourse of the revolution.

In this guide, a resident of Spain delves into every province and town. She tells of the history and culture, and provides innumerable useful travelling tips. Everything is explored - the cities, the parks, the islands, the mountains, the foods.

An engaging and remarkably succinct presentation of the genealogy and development of the language, including accounts of the structures and peculiarities of Latin, the historical and cultural events that deeply influenced the shaping of the language, the nature of Medieval Spanish, the language myths that have become attached to Spanish, and the development of the language beyond the Iberian Peninsula, especially in the Americas.

This examination of the social and cultural institutions of Argentine society contains a series of comprehensive and informative essays that focus on the most important forms of cultural production in terms of major works, major artists, and major venues.

Introduces students and general readers to Nicaragua's unique blend of religious and traditional holidays, so numerous that the country is said to be in a constant state of celebration; its growing film industry; its many styles of dance, the popular street theatre open to all bystanders; important contributions to Spanish literature, local cuisines, architecture, social norms, and more.

In addition to gaining an understanding of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the continental United States, students can explore extensive narrative chapters that cover contemporary religion, cuisine, sports, media, cinema, literature, performing arts, and visual arts.

This survey of important aspects of the food culture of Mexico also illuminates Mexican history, society, and daily life.

Traces 500 years of Iberian influence on the Americas and vice versa. Featuring six introductory essays and a chronology of key events, this three-volume encyclopedia examines more than five centuries of transatlantic encounters.

Skye Stephenson weaves the dual threads of Spanish political and religious history, often referred to as the sword and the cross, into a tapestry of cultural insights for these diverse countries: personalisimo, class, gender, identity, dignity, the importance of appearances, and more. These insights are then applied to the workplace as well as to personal relationships.

This book is an ambitious and wide-ranging social and cultural history of gender relations among indigenous peoples of New Spain, from the Spanish conquest through the first half of the eighteenth century.