Product Description

Blanca Flor or White Flower was originally a Spanish folktale, which was adapted and retold in Latin America and in New Mexico, where it became a version of Snow White. In South America, criollos told a version closer to the original tale, in which a young woman – Blanca Flor – is instrumental in bringing her suitor through trials set by her possessive and jealous father.

Victor Montejo, a Jacaltec Maya, was told yet a different version by his grandmother. In this rendition of the story, the father, W’itz Ak’al, is none other than the Lord of the Woods, a cacique or king who commands both the natural world and the city. And his daughter, Blanca Flor, is not only a powerful creature in her own right, but she too can command the forces of nature to get her way. Deer instead of horses act as both animal servants and the alter egos of the king and queen. And corn, squash and other native flora and fauna figure in the tale. Wonderfully magical, this folktale with its strong female protagonist is set at the time of the classic Maya civilization, with cities of pyramids set among lush jungles.

Beautifully and romantically illustrated by young Colombian artist Rafael Yockteng, Blanca Flor/White Flower, will introduce many readers to this tale, which is not widely known in the English-speaking world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1137057 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-20
• Original language: Spanish
• Binding: Hardcover
• 36 pages

About the Author
Victor Montejo is a noted Maya anthropologist and author of many books including the Popol Vuh: A Sacred Book of the Maya. In 2003 he decided to return to Guatemala, leaving his teaching post at the University of California at Davis, and has now joined the government as Secretary of the Peace, responsible for working to implement the Peace Accords. Rafael Yockteng lives in Bogotá Colombia. His magical watercolors also appear in Messengers of Rain / Mandaderos de la lluvia , an anthology of Latin American poetry, and Trees Are Hanging from the Sky / Los arboles estan colgando del cielo, by Jorge Argueta, published by Groundwood Books