This article posits the concept-metaphor of "storytelling as methodology" for reading a Colombian social studies textbook after the country ratified a new constitution in 1991. It examines temporal interplay and the interplay between visual and written texts in the textbook in order to analyze US imperialism, race/difference, and the discourse of progress. At the same time, the article draws on the theoretical perspectives of Gayatri Spivak in its attempt to perform transnational academic work within the limits of translation.