Comprised of 24 newly commissioned chapters, this defining reference volume on Latin America introduces English-language readers to the debates, traditions, and sensibilities that have shaped the study of this diverse region. * Contributors include some of the most prominent figures in Latin American and Latin Americanist anthropology * Offers previously unpublished work from Latin America scholars that has been translated into English explicitly for this volume * Includes overviews of national anthropologies in Mexico, Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, and Brazil, and is also topically focused on new research * Draws on original ethnographic and archival research * Highlights national and regional debates * Provides a vivid sense of how anthropologists often combine intellectual and political work to address the pressing social and cultural issues of Latin America