Pt. 1. The Age of Empire -- 1. Discovery and Conquest -- 2. Indians and Iberians -- 3. Spain in America -- 4. The Spanish Indies -- 5. Colonial Brazil -- Pt. 2. The Challenge of the Modern World -- 6. Reform, Crisis and Independence -- 7. The Quest for Order: Conservatives and Liberals in the Nineteenth Century -- 8. 'Civilization and Barbarism': Literary and Cultural Developments I -- Pt. 3. The Twentieth Century -- 9. Nationalism and Development: An Overview -- 10. Mexico: Revolution and Stability -- 11. Brazil: Order and Progress -- 12. Cuba: Dependency, Nationalism and Revolution -- 13. Argentina: The Long Decline -- 14. Chile: Democracy, Revolution and Dictatorship -- 15. Identity and Modernity: Literary and Cultural Developments II -- Pt. 4. Towards a New Era -- 16. Globalization and Reform: An Overview -- Statistical Appendix.