Scandals in the House of Birds: Shamans and Priests on Lake Atitlan

About this book

Based on a 30-year span of fieldwork in the Lake Atitln region of Guatemala this volume weaves together the voices of the authors villagers of the area and their oral histories to tell the story of the theft and eventual return of the Maximn a wooden statue venerated since pre-Columbian times. Along the way the myths and religious and political ramifications of the crime are brought to light and a portrait of the indigenous culture of the area emerges. Annotation c. by Book News Inc. Portland Or.