Telltale Stories from Central America

"This inquiry into race relations in Central America's political and social development taps an unusual source: 118 stories passed from generation to generation, which are also reproduced in English translation. What Stone found in his compilation of folktales is that a wide gap separates how Indians, mestizos, and ladinos in Central America view themselves and the governments that rule them. By studying stories told throughout the region, Stone documents the mutual resentment among Indians, mestizos, ladinos, and whites. He assesses how each country in the region has or has not faced up to its racial problems. He concludes that the existence of both authoritarian and democratic regimes throughout the region is directly related to the ways in which each country has handled these problems."--Jacket.