Central America provocatively challenges the myths of Central American democracy, development, and change--concepts traditionally maligned and oversimplified, but here presented analytically through a unique series of first-hand accounts. Incorporating essays by a variety of well-known academics and Central American specialists, this work considers each of the three concern areas separately. Part I includes five essays on democracy in the context of such nations as El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Part II explores the idea of development, the development of democratic education, U.S. aid, and the Social Democratic Project of 1948. Part III discusses the concept of change--seven essays cover liberation theology, the Sanctuary Movement, and the Reagan administration's attempts to thwart change.