The Macha of Chira is an intimate, first person account of the adventures and misadventures of a young American woman playing the role of a fledgling anthropologist in a remote part of Costa Rica in 1968. The description of the problems of fieldwork includes a frank and candid discussion of its sexual politics, making this study a unique contribution to the literature of anthropology. A rich collection of folklore including witchcraft, sorcery, folk medicine, superstitions, riddles, and supernatural legends is also included.