The Woman on the Windowsill

A Tale of Mystery in Several Parts

By: Sylvia Sellers-Garcia

Narrated by: Kyla García

On the morning of July 1, 1800, a surveyor and mapmaker named Cayetano Diaz opened the window of his study in Guatemala City to find a horrific sight: a pair of severed breasts. Offering a meticulously researched and evocative account of the quest to find the perpetrator and understand the motives behind such a brutal act, this volume pinpoints the sensational crime as a watershed moment in Guatemalan history that radically changed the nature of justice and the established social order.

Sylvia Sellers-Garcia reveals how this bizarre and macabre event spurred an increased attention to crime that resulted in more forceful policing and reflected important policy decisions not only in Guatemala but across Latin America. This fascinating book is both an engaging criminal case study and a broader consideration of the forces shaping Guatemala City at the brink of the modern era.

©2020 Sylvia Sellers-Garcia (P)2020 Tantor

Not for me.

Tries to M Night Shyamalan a historical investigation. Felt like I had to listen twice just to understand basic info.

Excellent history

Fantastic prose, rigorous history, good narration. Violent subject matter but handled with due diligence. Great for all interested in colonial history, Latin America, legal history, and religious history