Must-reads for Guatemala and/or Belize

I'm off to Guatemala and Belize next week and am looking for some recommendations on must-reads for either or both countries.

I suppose I'm looking for a couple of titles that are as relevant and thought-provoking as Lounug Ung's "First They Killed My Father" for Cambodia, or even "Shantaram" in relation to India.

Any suggestions for books or even book shops in Antigua would be great!

The first thing that springs to mind is Ronald Wright's excellent Time Among the Maya, which chronicles his travels in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico at the height of Guatemala's civil war and during the build-up to the Zapatista uprising in Chiapas. It's a wonderful travelogue, but what really sets it apart is Wright's impressive knowledge of Maya ethnographic and archaeological literature (as it stood in 1989, of course some things have changed since then), which lend his observations a degree of richness, cultural sensitivity, and historical scope that most travel writers simply can't produce.

If you're interested in archaeology, Michael Coe's The Maya (8th ed., 2011) is an accessible introduction and it's compact enough to travel with.

Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan by John L. Stephens is a classic of travel literature. He and the English artist Fredrick Catherwood traveled extensively in the area in the 1840s and wrote the first European accounts of some now-famous Maya ruins. The books are worth picking up for Catherwood's wonderful illustrations, but you can read the text online for free: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Incidents_of_Travel_in_Central_America,_Chiapas_and_Yucatan

There's a great book shop in Antigua on the west (right-hand side when you're looking at the volcano) of the plaza. They have a huge and well-curated selection of travel, anthropology, and archaeology books in English.

And before anybody else tells you to read the Popol Vuh, here is the best, most recent, and most authoritative translation available in any language (English, fortunately for us). You can buy the book if you want, but translator Allen Christenson decided it would just be easier to make the whole thing available for free:

http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf

...including a running line-by-line translation if you want to learn 16th-Century K'iche':

http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PV-Literal.pdf

these are good suggestions. I am partial to the Tedlock translation of Popul vuh. From what youve given me, I think Night by Elie weasel might be up your alley. On VENUS ON THE HALF SHELL (Kilgore Trout) now. And I object to the construction, "must-(whatever)". No one can mandate such things. It is a matter of personal preference.

Here's a great bibliography of Belize books:
http://belizefirst.com/BibliographyofBelizeBooks.htm

Some favorites of mine that give a sense of the country are Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw by Bruce Barcott, Beka Lamb by Zee Edgell, Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, and How to Cook a Tapir by Joan Frye.

Here's an old thread with Guatemala book ideas:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/americas-central-america/topics/guatemala-maya-books-any-additional-suggestions

Paradise in Ashes by Beatriz Manz is a powerful read and I recently enjoyed the novel The Long Night of White Chickens by Francisco Goldman.

BOOK MARK
because I am unable to read all of this now.

Allen Christenson decided it would just be easier to make the whole thing available for free:

http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PopolVuh.pdf

...including a running line-by-line translation if you want to learn 16th-Century K'iche':

http://www.mesoweb.com/publications/Christenson/PV-Literal.pdf

Essential book to read, the great : Unfinished Conquest: The Guatemalan Tragedy by Victor Perera (or any book by him for that matter) http://tinyurl.com/l222nco I had read this book prior to a trip to Nebaj. Inside one of the churches. up in a nondescript corner, was a small primitive painting of Indians being shot at and they were raining tears of blood. It was a deeply moving experience for me because I understood that this now peaceful town had an undercurrent of fear still, many years later of the tragedy of evil that men do.

Thanks for that, Paul. There are still tiny places to hide in the hills surrounding Nebaj, especially around Cocop - seeing them was really sobering.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/1438821038/in/set-72157602156541263

The Martin Prechtel books are interesting; Secrets of the Talking Jaguar is 1.

The TT list of books that Hopefulist links to above has some good suggestions. Tedlock's Breath on the Mirror is quite good, and it's in a travel-friendly size.

AMBERGRIS CAYE HISTORY by Glenn Godfrey is a must-read

Bring what books you want with you. Times have not been good in recent years and many stores have closed. You can always leave books you have finished with behind for others. For me Belize is a pit and I went an saw all the Mayan ruins and have no wish to return. Places to stay were poor and food was just awful plus the whole country was dirty. Mayan ruins were fantastic but Belize still has a long way to go. I understand there are some fancy places to stay in that country that are very nice but I could not afford that. This is a country where even the national beer is awful.,

Thanks for the encouraging words... I'll obviously be referring to the much more positive comments kindly recommended by others...

Maybe an idea to steer clear of forums focused on Belize if you feel so strongly.

It is what it is, Just be aware of what you will face. Have been there many times to see all the Maya ruins. I just love Maya ruins but always tell it like it is.

Paty - You are entitled to your opinion but you have obviously not stayed in the places I've stayed and seen the things I've seen in Belize or you wouldn't feel that way.

You say, "Places to stay were poor and food was just awful plus the whole country was dirty". I am not blind to the rough edges and imperfections but every place we've stayed has been beautiful, safe, fun, and a great value; once we paid pushing $100/night for a splurge that included breakfast and free snorkeling and fishing but our overall average has been well under $40/night. And for those of us who love great seafood and tropical fruit, Belize calls our name.

If you ever decide you want to see those beautiful Maya sites in Belize again, please send me a pm so I can steer your toward better food and lodging.

No never going back there again. I went to see Maya ruins and I saw them. I had sufficient horrible experiences to last a life time. Robber climbing on to boat in Belize harbor and having to be throne over board, dead rats all over in various stage of decomp on the streets, drug dealers bothering me to buy dope. pit viper on mat outside room where i was staying and food served on dirty plate. That one I solved by pouring high octane rum all over the plate and eating it. I never need to go back to Belize again. Oh yes and fire ants at one ruin that ran up our legs and under our clothing and bit us..maybe there is more but I have managed to repress it. No more Belize for me. In many trips it didn't get any better.

Yikes - those things would sour my experience, too! I am not sure how you chose the food and lodging options you did or how long ago you were there, but that is the saddest compilation of bad trip karma I have read about in a very long time. If your trips have been recent, I hope you'll post where you stayed and ate so others can be sure to avoid such bad experiences.

Gratefully, we have stayed at great value places that were clean and comfortable and well managed (although some decidedly rustic, by choice) and we have loved the food whether in a nice restaurant, on the street, or prepared on our own after shopping at local stores, produce stands, and docks. I have avoided staying in Belize City (and Belize harbor!) but have stayed a lot of other places around the country through 4 trips of 3-4 weeks each over the last 12 years. Here's the list:
Tropical Ed Center at the Zoo
Trek Stop west of SI in San José Succotz x2
Macal River Camp near Chaa Creek
Aguada Hotel in Santa Elena (across the bridge from San Ignacio)

Ian Anderson’s Caves Branch south of Belmopan

Cockscomb Preserve (Private Cabin)
Toucan Sittee in Sittee River Village (no longer open) x2
Hopkins Inn x2
Glover’s Atoll Resort x2
One World Rentals in Placencia

Nature Resort in the Community Baboon Sanctuary

Sailwinds on Caulker
Tina's (now Yuma’s) on Caulker
Colinda Cabañas on Caulker (have a booked a return there for fall)
Tranquility Bay on N. Ambergris

Hickatee Cottages in Punta Gorda x2
ReefCI in Sapodilla Cayes off Toledo District

Also just remembered this 2012 trip synopsis including Punta Gorda, Placencia, and N. Ambergris; most of my blog posts are more detailed but this 1 is a quick summary with lots of photos:
http://hopefulistinlatinamerica.blogspot.com/2012/08/highlights-of-belize-truncated-versio.html

A classic in Guatemalan literature is"I, Rigobeta Menchu", by a woman who gives some insight into Guatemalan life during the civil war. Some of her facts have been questioned, but she won a Nobel prize for it. She has continued to be active in Guatemalan politics, and was a presidential candidate in 2012.

Lovestoexplore wrote:

Maybe an idea to steer clear of forums focused on Belize if you feel so strongly.

Hmmm, pretty odd comment seeing as she posted in the GUATEMALA forum.
You can come back after your visit and let everyone know how your Belize visit goes.

I am in agreement with Paty, would never go to Belize again. So sad that you need to cross it to get to that part of Mexico from Guatemala, but next time I would go the long route to avoid Belize, no matter how much more it cost in time and money.

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