Research La Violencia, Colombia's fifteen-year penod of civil strife, and consider ways in which "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" might be a comment on the events occurring in Colombia at this time.

Look for information on the following religious and mythological figures in the story and analyze their significance to the work: St. Stephen, Estevanico, Jonah, Zeus, Quetzalcoatl.

Read a chapter of Homer's Odyssey and look for points of similarity between Homer's tale and the events of this story.

Explore the psychology of totemism and determine what Esteban has come to symbolize for the villagers.