Interwoven through two tales of faith and fervor, 'Where They Burn Books, They Also Burn People' explores the dark side of religious zeal and its lasting impact. In 1549, Friar Diego de Landa works passionately to convert the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula, but his measures to instill faith lead to catastrophic consequences for the indigenous culture. Centuries later, in 2010, Cortez Vuscar's fixation on expanding his church and winning his beloved evolves into a sinister obsession. As each man dives deeper into their divine missions, they are confronted with the potential unraveling of the very ideals they uphold. This narrative, a part of the Hispanic American Heritage Stories, sheds light on the shadows cast by Catholicism's fervent history, paralleling the journey of these two individuals separated by time but united by devotion that may spell doom for themselves and those they seek to save.