A Brief History of Central America
by Foster, Lynn V.Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 2007-09-01
Publisher(s): Facts on File
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Summary
From ancient glories to current headlines: a comprehensive history of Central America. Praise for the previous hardcover edition: "Because of its breadth and depth, this book [is]...Recommended."--The Book Report, starred review Central America is a tiny region, broken into seven even smaller nations. Yet more than 5 million North Americans visit these countries every year, exploring Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Belize, discovering the rain forests of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, snorkeling in Honduras, and cruising through the Panama Canal. Written for a general audience, A Brief History of Central America, Second Edition focuses on the political events and cultural patterns that have shaped the region. Special themes, such as the causes of unity and disunity on the isthmus and the economic pressures on the rain forest from farming and tourism, are developed throughout the book. This second edition also brings the history of the region up to date with new headline-making developments, including the recent election in Nicaragua, the impact of the free trade agreement signed with the United States in 2003/2004, the ravaging effects of Hurricane Stan in 2005, and Panama's approval to widen the Panama Canal in 2006. Coverage includes: *The Land and Its First Peoples * The Mayans and Their Neighbors *The Spanish Conquest (1492-;1570) *Life in the Colony *The Federation of Central America (1823-;1839) *Civil Wars (1975-;1996) *The Challenge of Peace and Democracy.
Author Biography
Lynn V. Foster is a writer and former research scholar and an adjunct faculty member in the Hispanic Studies Department of the University of Massachusetts in Boston
Table of Contents
| List of Illustrations | p. v |
| List of Maps | p. vi |
| List of Tables | p. vii |
| Preface | p. viii |
| Acknowledgments | p. ix |
| Note on Photos | p. x |
| Introduction | p. xi |
| The Land and Its First Peoples | p. 1 |
| The Mayans and Their Neighbors | p. 24 |
| The Spanish Conquest (1492-1541) | p. 45 |
| Founding of the Kingdom of Guatemala (1541-1570) | p. 68 |
| Life in the Colony | p. 90 |
| The Bourbons and Independence (1700-1823) | p. 120 |
| The Federation of Central America (1823-1839) | p. 134 |
| Conservatives and Foreign Profiteers (1840-1870) | p. 152 |
| The Making of the Coffee Republics (1870-1900) | p. 170 |
| Dollar "Diplomacy" and the Dictators (1898-1944) | p. 186 |
| Challenge to the Old Order (1944-1975) | p. 205 |
| Civil Wars (1975-1996) | p. 225 |
| The Challenge of Peace and Democracy | p. 255 |
| Appendixes | |
| Guatemala: Basic Facts | p. 285 |
| El Salvador: Basic Facts | p. 287 |
| Honduras: Basic Facts | p. 289 |
| Nicaragua: Basic Facts | p. 291 |
| Costa Rica: Basic Facts | p. 293 |
| Panama: Basic Facts | p. 295 |
| Belize: Basic Facts | p. 297 |
| Chronology | p. 299 |
| Bibliographic Sources | p. 306 |
| Suggested Reading | p. 313 |
| Index | p. 325 |
| Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved. |
Excerpts
From ancient glories to current headlines: a comprehensive history of Central America.
Central America is a tiny region, broken into seven even smaller nations. More than 5 million North Americans visit these countries every year, exploring Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Belize, discovering the rain forests of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, snorkeling in Honduras, and cruising through the Panama Canal.
Written for a general audience, A Brief History of Central America focuses on the political events and cultural patterns that have shaped the region. Special themes, such as the causes of unity and disunity on the isthmus and the economic pressures on the rain forest from farming and tourism, are developed throughout the book. Coverage of the history of the region is up to date with new developments, including the continued struggle in the aftermath of the civil wars, the impact of the free trade agreement signed with the United States, and recent elections.
Coverage includes:
The Land and Its First Peoples
The Spanish Conquest
Life in the Colony
The Federation of Central America
The Making of the Coffee Republics
Challenge to the Old Order
Civil Wars
The Challenge of Peace and Democracy.
Central America is a tiny region, broken into seven even smaller nations. More than 5 million North Americans visit these countries every year, exploring Mayan ruins in Guatemala and Belize, discovering the rain forests of Nicaragua and Costa Rica, snorkeling in Honduras, and cruising through the Panama Canal.
Written for a general audience, A Brief History of Central America focuses on the political events and cultural patterns that have shaped the region. Special themes, such as the causes of unity and disunity on the isthmus and the economic pressures on the rain forest from farming and tourism, are developed throughout the book. Coverage of the history of the region is up to date with new developments, including the continued struggle in the aftermath of the civil wars, the impact of the free trade agreement signed with the United States, and recent elections.
Coverage includes:
The Land and Its First Peoples
The Spanish Conquest
Life in the Colony
The Federation of Central America
The Making of the Coffee Republics
Challenge to the Old Order
Civil Wars
The Challenge of Peace and Democracy.
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