To María Eugenia Gordillo, director of the Hemeroteca Nacional de Guatemala, who gave me access to newspapers and magazines from the period in which this novel takes place.
To Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala, and especially to former vice rector Javier Fernández-Lasquetty, for the extraordinary favor of allowing me to work in their excellent library.
To my friend Percy Stormont, who knows his land so well, for the journey we made along the border between Honduras and Guatemala, visiting the places where Castillo Armas’s rebels were engaged in fighting, and also for showing me the secrets of Guatemala City.
To Francisco Pérez de Antón, Maite Rico, Bertrand de la Grange, Jorge Manzanilla, Carlos Granés, Gloria Gutiérrez, Pilar Reyes, and Álvaro Vargas Llosa, for their generous assistance. And a very special thanks to the people this novel is dedicated to: Tony Raful, Soledad Álvarez, and Bernardo Vega.