“This admirable book does three things that are especially worthy of note: It provides us with a longitudinal perspective. . . . a remarkably explicit and well-considered approach to the ethnography of belief. . . . [and]Hinshaw puts his study of Panajachel in a regional perspective. . . . In sum, this book is an unusual and important contribution to Middle American ethnography, and it will be read with profit by anyone interested in Indian populations in that area.”
—Hispanic American Historical Review

“Panajachel is located on Lake Atitlán, probably the most exquisite mountain lake in the world. Because of its setting, there has been an inundation of tourists and a boom of chalet construction. . . . While emphasizing the expanding economic base to explain continuity and change, Hinshaw also brings in other variables such as Protestantism, educational level, and military service. . . . There is much to praise: usefulness to culture change theory and Guatemalan literature and the infinite care in methodology.”
—Latin American Research Review

“The chief virtues of this book are that it is a continuation study; that it deals with an interesting problem which is in miniature a universal one, that is the relations between population, development, and their implications; and that the data are handled with extreme care, precision, and openness.”
—Economic Development and Cultural Change