"God and Production in a Guatemalan Town"

Paper Summary:

In the paper, the writer examines the book, "God and Production in a Guatemalan Town" where Sheldon Annis examines how the differences between Catholics and Protestants extend beyond religion into secular areas such as farming and hand-weaving. The writer outlines how Annis defines the milpa and the ideology that evolved around it, explains several of the contributing factors in the rise of Protestantism in Guatemala, and uses the example of huipil weaving to show how the differences between Catholics and Protestants in Latin America reach beyond religious practice.

From the Paper:

"The milpa can be defined as a small piece of land planted with corn and inter-cropped with beans and other vegetables (176). Annis explains that the milpa is not just a process of crop production, but is also an expression of what he refers to as "Indianness" (10). Indigenous economies and social organization were centered on the milpa, and within the family, the milpa determined the allocation of resources and the division of work (60-61). Because the ideal of the milpa is based on consumption as opposed to commodity production, little of its yield is extractable. What is produced by the milpa is primarily eaten by the family or traded locally."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Annis, Sheldon. God and Production In A Guatemalan Town. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1987.

More papers on "God and Production in a Guatemalan Town":

• Analytical Essay # 140616 : "Prejudice, Repression and Alienation in "A Worn Path"
• Term Paper # 127731 : "Good and Evil in "A Good Man is Hard to Find"
• Film Review # 45941 : "Nihilism and Theism in "A Lesson Before Dying"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: