organized, and the three of us have collaborated on conference panels ever since. Victoria

Sanford has been a mentor, ceaselessly supporting my research in Eastern Guatemala and

providing new venues in which to share my work. I would like to thank Randolph-Macon

College and my colleagues there for their financial and academic support. Lastly, I would like to

thank Alicita Rodriguez and Joseph Starr for their editorial work on this dissertation.

 My deepest gratitude goes to the people of San Pedro Pinula, who showed me great

kindness and support. They welcomed me into their homes and shared with me their lives. I am

especially thankful to the Medina family, all six brothers and two sisters, and their respective

wives and children. They were not only key to my research but also filled my time in Pinula with

love and laughter. Thank you to the Enamorado family, who lent me their home and loved me as

their own. Dofia Chenta was especially patient with me; without her help, I would never have

mastered the Spanish language. Her late husband, Don Bene, was my good friend and a loving

father-in-law. I thank fate for helping me meet their son, Rene, who showed me what it was like

to be a Guatemalan wife. I would also like to thank Don Pauncho and Dofia Martita for their

unconditional love; and their daughters, Vilma, Olga, and Lehti, and daughter-in-law, Rubelia,

for showing me what it was like to be a woman in Guatemala.

 Vinicio and Cory L6pez and their American-born children, Stephanie and Christian, have

supported me throughout my work. They allowed me into their lives, never hesitating to explain

their world to me. This dissertation would not have been possible without them.

 Tatiana Paz Guzman was my assistant in the field. Her keen ability to remember what

people said in Spanish word for word was uncanny. She was essential to the research process and

an excellent assistant and anthropologist.