Woman on the Windowsill A Tale of Mystery in Several Parts

A true story of violence and punishment that illuminates a transformative moment in Guatemalan history

On the morning of July 1, 1800, a surveyor and mapmaker named Cayetano D az 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-Garc a 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.

This meticulous account of the bizarre unsolved case of a pair of severed breasts found on a Guatemala City windowsill in 1800 sheds light on the forces that contributed to drastic changes to the social order and nature of justice in Guatemala at the brink of the modern era.

"One of the most thoughtfully crafted works of true crime I've ever seen."--Molly Odintz, CrimeReads senior editor

On the morning of July 1, 1800, a surveyor and mapmaker named Cayetano D az 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, The Woman on the Windowsill pinpoints the last decade of the eighteenth-century as a watershed moment in Guatemalan history, when the nature of justice changed dramatically.

Sylvia Sellers-Garc a reveals how this bizarre and macabre event came with an increased attention to crime that resulted in more forceful policing and reflected important policy decisions not only in Guatemala but throughout the Spanish Empire. This engaging true crime story serves as a backdrop for the broader consideration of the forces shaping Guatemala City at the brink of the modern era.

A true story of violence, punishment, and a transformative moment in Guatemalan history that "deftly ranges across Italian iconography, Maya cosmovision, casta paintings, Enlightenment urbanism, conceptions of death, masculinity, gender violence, crime and punishment, and the growth of the state." (Laura Matthew, Hispanic American Historical Review)

On the morning of July 1, 1800, a surveyor and mapmaker named Cayetano D az 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, The Woman on the Windowsill pinpoints the last decade of the eighteenth-century as a watershed moment in Guatemalan history, when the nature of justice changed dramatically.

Sylvia Sellers-Garc a reveals how this bizarre and macabre event came with an increased attention to crime that resulted in more forceful policing and reflected important policy decisions not only in Guatemala but throughout the Spanish Empire. This engaging true crime story serves as a backdrop for the broader consideration of the forces shaping Guatemala City at the brink of the modern era.