Guatemala on CD-ROM

The Universidad de Colima (Mexico) has been sponsored by UNESCO to edit a series of disks containing bibliographic databases, the Bancos Bibliográficos Latinoamericanos y de El Caribe, distributed free of charge to researchers. The most recent update (December 1995) contains 89 databases, including information about Guatemala.
Colima also produced the first Central American CD-ROM, the "CD de Información Socioeconómica y Política: Centroamérica, El Caribe y Nicaragua, 1979-1992", or CD-CRIES. This contains 12 databases on economics, policy, development, and military doce bases de datos en economía, política, desarrollo, y other regional data compiled by Barbara Stewart and her CRIES team in Nicaragua.

Finally, the Handbook of Latin American Studies, is a well known tool in the social sciences. It has been edited anually by the Library of Congress (USA) since 1936. The HLAS/CD contains the retrospective conversion of all volumes, a huge effort that was sponsored by the Spanish foundation MAPFRE América.

MAYAN THEMES

Several CD-ROMs also explore the Mayan civilization through animation, music, and even games. Lost Dreams of Guatemala , produced by Chris Girand, contains a series of travel anecdotes, common Guatemalan vocabulary, beautiful pictures, and the Popol Vuh narrative. Chris also interviewed several Guatemalans, asking them about their dreams, and the best advice that their parents had given them. It can be played in Spanish and English.

Sumeria has produced Exploring the Lost Maya, a detailed exploration of 15 centuries of Mayan history. A technical team took special 360 degree photographs of the main Maya sites in Mexico, Guatemala, Belice, and Honduras.

In contrast with Sumeria's scholarly approach, Activision has created a totally improbable Mayan world in their new videogame for Windows 95: Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure. The original Pitfall (ca. 1982) is actually contained as a "hidden level" in this new game where Harry Jr. traverses tropical forests filled with snakes, killer butterflies, jaguars, Mayan spirits, and much, much more. Soundelux Media Labs (True Lies, Cliffhanger, JFK) traveled all the way to the "Central American jungles" to record the background sounds for this very exciting game.

MAYAQUEST: AN EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The trend is currently to complement the information contained on a CD-ROM with printed materials, radio programs, TV, activities, and of course, Internet sites. Thus, the MayaQuest CD-ROM is only one part in a larger educational project. It all started in 1995, with a bicycle expedition through the Yucatán, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. The group, led by Dan Buettner, used portable computers and a satellite antenna to maintain communication with school kids in the USA. They would file frequent reports about their trip, and kids would even vote to decide the route that the expedition would take. Linda Schele, one of the top Mayanists, states that the MayaQuest project has attracted more young people to this area of studies than the combined efforts of all archaeologists in the last 100 years.

The CD-ROM is an excellent starting point for children who are learning about the Maya civilization, but adults will be equally entertained and educated. It contains over 1,500 photographs, videos, "virtual visits" to the main sites, and an interesting adventure game. It plays in English or Spanish.

OTHER TITLES OF INTEREST

Corel: "Guatemala" and "Mayan and Aztec Ruins", professional photographs.

Softkey: "Explorers of the New World". Educational CD-ROM

Sanctuary Woods: "Journeyman Project 2: Buried in Time". Science fiction game.

timebox: "Columbus Day by Day". Educacional, inglés. P.O.Box 3060 Station D, Ottawa, Canada K1P 6H6.