Silver, Sword And Stone Av Marie Arana

<p>The timeless stories of three contemporary Latin Americans whose lives represent three driving forces that have shaped the character of the region: exploitation, violence, and religion.<br><br>Leonor Gonzales, a miner''s widow, lives in a tiny community perched in the Andean cordillera of Peru, the highest human habitation on earth.<br><br>Carlos Buergos is a Cuban who fought in the civil war in Angola and was among hundreds of criminals Cuba expelled to the USA.<br><br>Xavier Alb¿ is a Jesuit priest from Barcelona who emigrated to Bolivia, where he works among the indigenous people.<br><br>In <i>Silver, Sword and Stone</i> Marie Arana seamlessly weaves these stories with the history of the past millennium to explain three enduring themes that have defined Latin America since pre-Columbian times: the foreign greed for its mineral riches, an ingrained history of violence, and the abiding power of religion. What emerges is a vibrant portrait of a people whose lives are increasingly in