Reviews the historical and contemporary social situation of the indigenous peoples of Guatemala and Nicaragua, including the current conflict between the Sandinista government and the Miskitu Indians. (GC)

Son Jarocho (specifically from Veracruz) is a song-and-dance form originating in Spain and implanted in Mexico during 17th- and 18th-century colonization. The jarocho style of music today is one of Latin America's most unique forms, using one to four instruments and characterized by its distinctive rhythm. (LC)

Central American health beliefs and practices are largely influenced by religious and indigenous worldviews. Study assesses the use of ethnomedical approaches and the illnesses for which these approaches are used among 76 Central Americans. Results indicate the importance of understanding and integrating cultural and spiritual influences on…

Surveys the origin and development of the representational conventions of Mesoamerican writing systems. Asserts that writing probably grew out of the iconography of ceremonial celts, and seems to have taken shape during or just before the period in which state-level political organization was emerging. Discusses the representational features of…

Studies the cultural images and knowledge produced by a Latin American organization in the U.S. south as it plans and produces a Latin American festival. In addition, the complexity of the ethnographic portrayal of the festival is described, with implications drawn for other ethnographic studies. (SLD)

This book, issued in observance of the Columbus Quincentennial and on the occasion of the 27th International Geographical Congress, addresses a broad range of contemporary topics including environmental change, dynamics of the world economy, human needs, wants and rights, political order and change, and contemporary cultures. The format is one of…

Self-contained activities that will help social studies or Spanish foreign language students in grades 6-8 learn about the history and culture of Latin America are provided. Following an introductory unit, the activities, ranging from easy to complex, are organized by the following countries and areas: Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis and review of the sociotechnical approach as a result of analysis of experiences with the introduction of ICT in higher education. Design/methodology/approach: The experiences of the author with the creation of special web sites in palaeography are analysed paying special attention to…

This article describes how Dr. Ben Vinson III, the new director of the Center for Africana Studies at Johns Hopkins University and a specialist in Latin American history, is strengthening the center's internationalist orientation. While it took more than three decades for Johns Hopkins University to approve a Black studies program in its arts and…

This book was prepared to enable schools to incorporate material on the Caribbean into existing curricula. Four aims guided the editors in their selection and presentation of materials: (1) to show Caribbean history and contemporary realities through the eyes of ordinary people, both real and fictional; (2) to promote critical thinking rather than…

Learning activities intended to supplement regular curriculum on Latin American studies at all grade levels are presented. Developed by 60 elementary, secondary, and college level teachers with the cooperation of 35 Latin Americanists at a cross-cultural seminar, the activities were generated with two key objectives in mind--(1) to expand and…

This lesson is a series of activities and multi-media presentations designed to enable students to understand the historic and geographic roots of some of the problems that Central American nations have faced. Geography, history, writing, and storytelling are used as ways of understanding a multicultural world. Creative thinking and participation…

This paper attempts to answer the question of what life was really like in ancient Rome, with a view to using this kind of information as cultural background for teaching Latin language and literature. There were many problems associated with daily living in ancient Rome. Writings of some inhabitants of ancient Rome attest to the fact that these…

As a controversial figure in classical studies, "Tacitus the historian" and "Tacitus the stylist" are pictured in a personal synthesis of new approaches to Tacitean scholarship. The literary character and purpose of the "Agricola" and "Germanica" are discussed prior to an examination of Tacitus' views on the…

Translation, viewed as a process of linguistic summation, is considered on the levels of morphology, syntax, phonology, and vocabulary. Random variables which bear on loss/gain ratios are examined in formulae illustrating the relationship of subjectivity and objectivity in the translation process. Implications of theory are illustrated through…