Severo Martínez Peláez and Latin American Historiography
Severo Martínez Peláez and Latin American Historiography
- Coralia Gutiérrez ÁlvarezCoralia Gutiérrez ÁlvarezInstituto de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades "Alfonso Vélez Pliego" (ICSyH - BUAP), Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla
Summary
Severo Martínez Peláez is the most important figure in the founding of contemporary Guatemalan historiography. His work, in particular La patria del criollo (The Homeland of the Criollo), has been viewed by historians as a starting point for advancing the reconstruction of Central American history. Additionally, his work continues to have a broad readership, who consider it a factor in understanding the present. His contributions are essential to the understanding of the colonial period in Latin America, including debates that inspired his theses concerning the character of society in that period and his historical views on indigenous peoples. Like other thinkers of the 1960s and 1970s, his focus was primarily on economic and social history, in particular class struggles. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the intellectual, political, social, and even personal conditions relevant at the time he was writing in order to thoroughly understand and appreciate his work.
Keywords
Subjects
- History of Central America
- 1945–1991
- Intellectual History
