In the Land of the Lacand?n: A Graphic History of Adventure and Imperialism

In the mid-1930s the amateur French ethnographer and filmmaker Bernard de Colmont ventured into the mountainous state of Chiapas to study the Lacand?n people and broadcast their way of life to a curious European public. Considered a "lost tribe," the Lacand?n were thought to be the closest living relatives of the ancient Maya. De Colmont became a celebrity explorer whose adventures generated considerable attention. The Lacand?n themselves, however, were silenced in his tale. Nearly a century later, Richard Ivan Jobs and Steven Van Wolputte have taken up this story in all its complexity, creating a graphic history from de Colmont's narratives and images in the form of a heroic adventure comic. An essay contextualizing and historicizing the tale follows, as does an evocative, reflective poem by Tsotsil writer Manuel Bolom Pale, which offers an Indigenous perspective on the encounter. A captivating experiment in form, the book puts an immersive new spin on studying the past. In the Land of the Lacand?n illuminates de Colmont's expedition against the backdrop of late imperialism on the eve of the Second World War in Europe. It investigates the history of exploration, science, and media, revealing how these narratives represented and constructed Indigenous Peoples for the public - and how such representations continue to resonate.

Author: Richard Ivan Jobs, Steven Van Wolputte, Manuel Bolom Pale
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Published: 05/13/2025
Pages: 176
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
ISBN: 9780228024767

About the Author
Richard Ivan Jobs is professor of European history at Pacific University. Steven Van Wolputte is professor of anthropology at KU Leuven. Manuel Bolom Pale is a translator, researcher, and Tsotsil poet from Huixt?n, Chiapas, Mexico.