Prologue : why Latin America? -- 1. The colonial foundations, 1492-1880s -- 2. The transformation of modern Latin America, 1880s-2000s -- 3. Argentina : prosperity, deadlock, and change -- 4. Chile : socialism, repression, and democracy -- 5. Brazil : development for whom? -- 6. Peru : soldiers, oligarchs, and Indians -- 7. Colombia : discord, civility, and violence -- 8. Mexico : the taming of a revolution -- 9. Cuba : late colony, first socialist state -- 10. The Caribbean : colonies and mini-states -- 11. Central America : colonialism, dictatorship, and revolution -- 12. Latin America, the United States, and the world -- Epilogue : what future for Latin America? -- Heads of state