THE RIDDLE OF LATIN AMERICA explores the promise and paradox of Latin America in a novel way by giving equal weight to the colonial and national periods. This is essential because in Latin America colonialism started early and independence came late. The aim of this book is to provide unfamiliar readers with a more balanced, interpretive view of Latin America's long and complex history by identifying key patterns and trends and tracing them across time and space. Within chapters THE RIDDLE OF LATIN AMERICA takes a regional rather than country-by-country approach, treating, for example, the Greater Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, the Andes, the Southern Cone, and Brazil.