Historical Atlas of Central America by Carolyn Hall, Héctor Pérez Brignoli (review)

SELA Summer/FuI12003 in Costa Rica, even ifaccepted, would not have changed the election results. However, they argue that even when opponents are decrying fraud that is largely procedural, or which would not have changed the outcome of the elections, it still undermines the legitimacy of elections, which is one factor that keeps democracy from consolidating. Thus, this book is more than an innovative data collection effort and a theoretically based study of electoral fraud and reform. It also contributes a new dimension to our understanding of the process of democratic consolidation. Works Cited Downs, Anthony. 1957. An Economic Theory oj‘Democrucy. New York: Geddes, Barbara. 1994. Politician b Dilemma: Bidding State Cupacill,in Harper and Row. Lutii?America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson TexasA&M University Hall, Carolyn and Hector Perez Brignoli. Historical Atlas of Central America. Cartographer John V. Cotter. University of Oklahoma Press, 2003. This is a unique, beautiful book, which is an absolute pleasure to read. The book, written by two of Costa Rica’s leading academic lights, historian Hector Perez Brignoli and geographer Carolyn Hall (both of the University of Costa Rica), is meticulously researched, clearly structured, and succinctly presented. No other similarly expansive book has yet been published for any other region of Latin America or the Caribbean. The Herculean task undertaken by the authors took more than seven years to complete and is unusual in that it examines Central America, broadly defined, including the much-ignored countries of Belize and Panama. Central American historians and political scientists generally neglect these two countries; Panama because the Spanish governed it separately from the other areas of the region and until 1903, it was part of Colombia, hence considered part of South America. Belize, due to its British colonial experience, is similarly ignored. The authors, though, make a compelling case for including these two countries and present the most complete geographical, historical and political study of all seven countries. The book is divided into five broad sections, each dealing with specific themes chronologically. The first section, “Environment and Territory” presents a clear description ofthe geography, climates, environmental hazards, etc., as well as an examination of Spanish and British colonization, creation of Book Reviews 127 the separate republics, and early attempts at a Central American union. Part two, “People and Places: the Patterns of Cultural Exchange,” concentrates on various ethnicities and cultural geography and the impact of culture on the region. The “Colonial Societies” section starts with the Pax Hispanica and Spanish control over the Indians, the growing importance of trade (legal and illegal), and the rise of the military as an institution. The fourth section, “National Societies,” explores the formation of the separate countries and untangles the complex web of intrigues that produced a series of fratricidal civil wars, invasions, and dictatorships. The section also deals with the rise of the modern economy of coffee and bananas and the creation of the Panama Canal. The final section, the “Challenge of Development,” is perhaps also the least satisfying. For example, voting participation data is both old-for Costa Rica it stops in 1978 (p.236)-and incomplete. As a result the text misses a major trend in many countries with serious declines in voter turnout. More importantly, some of the most profound issues confronting Central American polities is either lightly touched+nvironmental concerns-or it is missing completely-the HIV/AIDS crisis. This atlas is a well-timed reminder of the significance of the region in its own right and presents well informed syntheses of key issues in the region. This centrality of the region is refreshing given its long history of being neglected both by scholars and politicians in major countries - the exceptions being occasional geo-strategic issues or revolutions that made the regions important for larger countries and led to renewed, but short-lived, academic interest. As well as hundreds of clear detailed maps, the almost 200 illustrations bring the book to life. These illustrations, some small,some full page, include every aspect of the region from 16t’1 century maps, photographs of 1930s striking Costa Rican banana workers, Panamanian Embara Indians, displaced Guatemalan Indians froin the 1980s, to a full color...