Men of Maize

Men of Maize (Spanish: Hombres de maíz) is a 1949 novel by Guatemalan Nobel Prize in Literature winner Miguel Ángel Asturias.

[4] The plot revolves around an isolated Indian community (the men of maize or "people of corn") whose land is under threat by outsiders, with the intent of commercial exploitation.

An indigenous leader, Gaspar Ilom, leads the community's resistance to the planters, who kill him in the hope of thwarting the rebellion.

[6] This transformation is yet another reference to Mayan culture; the belief of nahualism, or a man's ability to assume the shape of his guardian animal, is one of the many essential aspects to understanding the hidden meanings in the novel.

[8] The novel deals with the conflict between two types of men: the ones who consider maize to be a sacred food (the indigenous people of Guatemala); and those who view it simply as a commercial product.