Culture and Customs of Colombia (Culture and Customs of Latin America and the Caribbean)

This insider's account of Colombia's culture and customs helps the reader develop a balanced view of Colombian life today. Colombia has the longest-standing democratic political system in Latin America, but it is also one of the most violent nations in the world. The full gamut of its culture--both positive and negative--is revealed in this insightful book that is ideal for student research. The authors highlight the most notable aspects of contemporary Colombian culture including coffee production, Nobel Laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, painter Fernando Botero, vallenato music, and the notorious drug cartels. Colombia is one of the most diverse, regionalistic, and tradition-bound nations in Latin America. Culture and Customs of Colombia offers a thorough examination of those features of national life that make Colombia unique. The book begins by introducing the reader to Colombia's history, geography, and economy. Subsequent chapters discuss the profound importance of the formalities of Catholicism in daily and civic life, as well as the significance of traditional foods and clothing. Colombia's increasingly dynamic cultural scene is detailed in chapters on the performing arts and the plastic arts. The discussion of Colombian literature culminates in a special chapter devoted to the luminary Gabriel Garcia Marquez, known the world over for his magical novels, and whose influence and cultural participation in Colombian society are wide-ranging.

A Guide to the Birds of Colombia

Describing all of Colombia's birds, Steven Hilty and William Brown bring together information on one of the world's largest avifaunas-nearly 1,700 species. Over half of all the species of birds in South America are included, thus making the book useful in regions adjacent to Colombia, as well as in the country itself. The primary purpose of the work is to enable observers to identify the birds of the region, but it also provides detailed species accounts and will serve as an important handbook and reference volume. Fifty-six lavish color plates, thirteen halftone plates, and ninety-nine line drawings in the text illustrate over 85% of the species, including most of the resident birds. Notes on the facing-page of each place, and range maps of 1,475 species, facilitate identification. Written with the field observer in mind, the text gives special attention to comparisons of similar species, transcriptions of voices, and comments on behavior, status, and habitat. It also provides ranges, breeding data, and references. Notes outline taxonomic problems and briefly describe species that eventually may be found in Colombia. Introductory chapters and photographs highlight Colombia's geography, climate, and vegetation, and discuss migration and conservation questions, and the history of Colombian ornithology. Appendices contain a large bibliography, a section on birding locations, and coverage of two of Colombia's far-flung island territories, Isla San Andrés and Providencia. Maps depicting vegetation zones, political boundaries, national parks, and the most text localities are included.

Once Upon a Time There Was Colombia

The complexity of a country in which violence and internal armed conflict coexist with enormous cultural, natural, and human riches is captured in this illuminating essay by a Colombian poet. A refreshed view of Colombia is proposed, shedding light on the possibility of a future in which the nation may become reconciled with itself. The accompanying photographs, all previously unpublished, are taken by some of Colombia's best photographers.

Colombia (Country Guide)

Discover the best kept secret in South America. Colombia is safer than ever, affordable and still blissfully uncrowded - an independent traveler's dream. Laze on palm-fringed Caribbean beaches. Canoe slient rivers through lush rainforest. Stroll Cartagena's colonial old town. Salsa all night in Cali. Packed with practical advice and valuable tips for trouble-free travel, our peerless guide enables you to explore with confidence.The Basics - detailed maps, tailored itineraries and easy-to-use directory help make the most of your trip.Adrenaline Rushes - the best spots for diving, rafting, hiking, rock-climbing and other thrills.Straight Talk - honest advice on where to go - and still risky spots to avoid.Discerning Reviews - opinionated authors give the lowdown on where to sleep, eat and pain the town.Colombia 101 - in-depth background chapters provide insight into the country and its people.

unseen Colombia

"To live in a tent, to invent trails, to dream of immensities, to spy , then reach far horizons; to flee from the destiny of the sedentary, to love the supreme freedom of the nomad above all... This is the life!"Geography is a mirror: every nation sees itself first in its natural places. Here is a naturalist-photographer's "mirrors," his country's most beautiful faces: Hurtado is an eco-wanderer, a South American Edward Weston and John Burroughs, a self-taught, nomadic artist. He shows us what he has seen: hidden beaches, remote lakes, and unnamed volcanic craters; the little-explored rivers of the scorching Amazon; cryptic hieroglyphics graven on giant rocks by ancient aboriginal cultures; and the seductive landscapes of the Orinoco-many locations known only to Hurtado.For those who love truly wild places, and photography through nature's eye, this is a new horizon.

Inside Colombia

"A great resource for students and scholars. Chock-full of up-to-date, reliable information, this book has practically everything you need to know about contemporary Colombia all in one package." --Herbert Braun, author of Our Guerrillas, Our Sidewalks: A Journey into the Violence of Colombia The South American nation of Colombia has seen more than forty years of unrest, conflict, and civil war. It is a country in which social violence and warfare are intricately intertwined. Colombia is also notorious for its drug trade, being one of the leading producers of cocaine in the world, and for its central role as a staging ground for the U.S. "war on drugs." Since 9/11 the Bush administration has sought to draw political links between the Colombian drug trade, guerrilla organizations, and terrorism. Inside Colombia offers a valuable introduction and quick reference guide to this complex nation. With chapters devoted to history, human rights issues, the economy, drugs, the controversial antidrug intervention known as Plan Colombia, and relations with the United States, the book offers an easily accessible and comprehensive overview. Readers will learn about the major players in the conflicts, significant political figures, how Colombia's economy has fared in the twentieth century, how the country's geography influences its politics and economy, and how U.S. intervention shapes Colombia's political scene. Grace Livingstone is a journalist who regularly contributes to a range of publications on Latin American current affairs and has reported for the BBC World Service. She is currently based in Venezuela where she is a correspondent for The Guardian. Jenny Pearce is the coauthor of Civil Society and Development: A Critical Exploration.

Colombia (Enchantment of the World. Second Series)

Describes the geography, history, people, industries, and culture of Colombia.

Colombia (Enchantment of the World. Second Series)

Describes the geography, history, economy, natural resources, culture, religion, and people of the South American country of Colombia.

Colombia

Colombia : A Question And Answer Book (Fact Finders) by Kremena Spengler Published in 2005 by Fact Finders

Evil Hour in Colombia

The most up-to-date book on Colombia: from the mid-19th century to today's guerrilla narco-traffickers and paramilitaries.Colombia is the least understood of Latin American countries. Its human tragedy, which features terrifying levels of kidnapping, homicide and extortion, is generally ignored or exploited. In this urgent new work, Forrest Hylton, who has extensive first-hand experience of living and working in Colombia, explores its history of 150 years of political conflict, characterized by radical-popular mobilization and reactionary repression. He shows how patterns of political conflict after 1848, and especially after 1948, explain the war currently destroying Colombian lives, property, communities and territory.Evil Hour in Colombia also traces how Colombia's "coffee capitalism" gave way to the cattle and cocaine republic of the 1980s, and how land, wealth and power have been steadily accumulated by the light-skinned top of the social pyramid through a brutal combination of terror, expropriation and economic depression.