New perspective on the 1932 insurrection by rural and indigenous laborers in El Salvador-- a defining moment of modern Central American history-- shedding light on the origins of this event and on the long-term cultural and political consequences of its

Preface ix
1. Garden of Despair: the Political Economy of Class, Land, and Labor, 1920-1929 1
2. A Bittersweet Transition: Politics and Labor in the 1920s 32
3. Fiestas of the Oppressed: The Social Geography and Culture of Mobilization 63
4. "Ese Trabajo Era Enteramente de los Naturales": Ethnic Conflict and Mestizaje in Western Salvador, 1914-1931 99
5. "To the Face of the Entire World": Repression and Radicalization, September 1931-January 1932 132
6. Red Ribbons and Machetes: The Insurrection of January 1932 170
7. "They Killed the Just for the Sinners": The Counterrevolutionary Massacres 209
8. Memories of La Matanza: The Political and Cultural Consequences of 1932 240
Epilogue 275
Afterword 281
Notes 291
Bibliography 343
Index 355