About this book:

**Shadows over Tikal** thrusts readers into the heart of Guatemala’s civil war, where ancient traditions collide with the brutal realities of a nation torn apart. Elena Ixchel, a young Maya teacher returning to her highland village, finds herself caught between the fragile silence of survival and the dangerous power of witness. As military forces descend on her home, demanding loyalty and sowing fear, Elena must navigate a harrowing choice: to erase herself into obscurity or risk everything to preserve the stories of the forgotten. Her journey—marked by loss, rebellion, and the indomitable spirit of her people—unfolds against the haunting majesty of Tikal’s ruins and the smoldering tensions of a land steeped in memory and resistance.

With each chapter, the novel weaves a visceral tapestry of courage and consequence, where every written word becomes an act of defiance and every whispered name a prayer for justice. Elena’s fierce bond with her students, her father’s quiet grief, and the enigmatic presence of Gaspar—a man whose loyalties blur the lines between ally and fugitive—immerse readers in a world where the past is never truly past, and the truth is a fire that burns too bright to be extinguished. This is more than a story of war; it’s a testament to the enduring fight to keep humanity’s light alive, even in the shadow of death.

As the stakes escalate and the village teeters on the edge of chaos, Elena’s diary becomes both a weapon and a beacon, illuminating the cost of remembering in a land where silence is complicity. For readers who dare to confront the shadows, this novel offers an unforgettable reckoning with history’s echoes—and the unbreakable thread connecting those who refuse to let their stories die.