The Millennial New World

Much has been written about millennialism in the U.S. and its European roots. But although it is widely recognized that millennialism is also endemic to Latin America, until now there has been no systematic study of this phenomenon as it has flourished in that part of the world. Frank Graziano here offers the first such study, examining Latin American millennialism from the pre-Columbian period to the present. Organizing his work thematically, he introduces a fascinating array of movements, ideas, and figures from the legendary Aztec culture hero Quetzalcoatl to the contemporary Peruvian rebels of the Shining Path and their messianic leader Abimael Guzman.