Upon learning we would be traveling to Guatemala, Honduras and Belize to view Mayan ruins and participate in Mayan rituals and ceremonies, a desire was sparked in me to study the literature of Mayan women.  I firmly believe that the underlying nuances of life and living can be found in the word tapestries that authors weave together from their personal collection of observations, impressions, dreams and past experiences.  I was anxious to experience these writings firsthand.  

Before traveling I started phoning the major bookstores in Guatemala City and Antigua, only to find that there  weren’t many published Mayan women writers.  The few that I might find would  be included in feminist newspapers and magazines that highlighted young writers, but these were not readily available nor printed on a regular basis.  There is an international association of women’s bookstores, and in La agenda de las mujeres, the Women’s Agenda, published in Madrid, Spain, I found an international listing of women’s bookstores.   One of the stores on the list was the 'Librería del Pensativo' in Antigua, Guatemala, a beautiful colonial town at the base of three  volcanoes, Fuego (Fire) , Agua (Water) and Acatenango.  See photographs below.

There are many reasons why only a few Mayan women writers have been published as such. These reasons will become apparent in the following historical and literary overview of Guatemala.  The good news is, there are writers to be enjoyed, and their message speaks of love and healing, something we could all benefit from.