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

Scandals in the House of Birds: Shamans and Priests on Lake Atitlan by Tarn, Nathaniel. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781568860442.

Based on a 30-year span of fieldwork in the Lake Atitlßn 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 Maxim=n, 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.