The Mayans Among Us conveys the unique experiences of Central
American indigenous immigrants to the Great Plains, many of whom
are political refugees from repressive, war-torn countries. Ann L.
Sittig, a Spanish instructor, and Martha Florinda González, a Mayan
community leader living in Nebraska, have gathered the oral
histories of contemporary Mayan women living in the state and
working in meatpacking plants. Sittig and González initiated group
dialogues with Mayan women about the psychological, sociological,
and economic wounds left by war, poverty, immigration, and
residence in a new country. Distinct from Latin America's economic
immigrants and often overlooked in media coverage of Latino and
Latina migration to the plains, the Mayans share their concerns and
hopes as they negotiate their new home, culture, language, and life
in Nebraska. Longtime Nebraskans share their perspectives on the
immigrants as well.The Mayans Among Us poignantly explores how
Mayan women in rural Nebraska meatpacking plants weave together
their three distinct identities: Mayan, Central American, and
American.