Americans routinely hear about problems all over the globe, but seldom do we have the historical hindsight to understand the origin of these conflicts. In The History of Latin America, students will survey of the history and culture of Central and South America, from the Spanish and Portuguese colonial period through the age of the revolutions and into the region's troubled modern period. Focus will be on South and Central America but will also touch on the Caribbean with an emphasis on illustrating how the region's past relates to its modern character.