Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-259) and index.

Map of Latin America and the Caribbean -- 1. The curse of wealth : economics -- History and power -- The commodity trade -- Silent revolution : market economics -- 2. Ballots and bullets : the state, the military, and politics -- The state and the military -- The Left in Latin America -- 3. Land, the city, and environment -- Promised land : landownership, power, and conflict -- Mean streets : migration and life in the city -- A land in flames : the environment -- 4. Identity and rights -- Race and ethnicity -- Gender and politics -- Social movements and the struggle for change -- 5. Culture and religion -- Writing on the wall : culture, identity, and politics -- Thy kingdom come : the Church -- Chronologies.