Fostering a better understanding of Latin America within an historical context, this fascinating collection of readings is based on the central theme and powerful drama of the two conflicting trends contributing to the nation-building in Latin American; these being the imposition of first European and then U.S. institutions from the 16th century onward and the local efforts to alter them. Within that theme, the book follows a three-goal course of study: 1) to reproduce documents that provide a better understanding of the Latin American past and present; 2) to introduce a wide variety of documentation (art work, short stories, poetry folk tales, and more); and 3) to draw heavily from Latin American sources.