"Examines processes of social and structural change in Guatemala City based on Alejandro Portes' research concerning impacts of Guatemala's economic decline and the violence that shook rural areas during the 1980s. Discusses spatial polarization of the population, growth of the informal labor market, and urban development policies. Also examines Guatemalan urban hierarchy. Welcome addition to the small collection of current studies of Guatemala City"--Handbook of Latin American Studies, v. 57.