Las culturas y civilizaciones latinoamericanas has been updated. This textbook not only describes the history of Latin America, but it sets a mood that allows the reader to get a genuine sense of the languages, cultures, and civilizations of this complex and colorful land. It provides an account of how Columbus's voyages gave rise to utopian dreams, the ramifications of which led to a brilliant display of hybrid cultures, changed the ethnic composition of two continents, accelerated lines of commerce, and refashioned the Western World's diet. The textbook takes the reader through the "discovery," conquest, and colonization of the New World and on to independence and the national period. In addition, each chapter offers general concepts, important terms, questions, and topics for classroom debates. Comprehensive and compelling, this book chronicles the history of an important region in a way that will interest students and teachers alike.