Colonial Latin America

by Mark A. Burkholder, Lyman L. Johnson

Now in its sixth edition, Colonial Latin America provides a concise study of the history of the Iberian colonies in the New World from their preconquest background to the wars of independence in the early nineteenth century. The new edition of this highly acclaimed text has been revised and
updated to reflect the latest scholarship, with particular emphasis on social and cultural history. It also features a new section on pre-Colonial Africa, to parallel coverage of pre-Colonial Spain and the Americas, as well as new maps and illustrations. Colonial Latin America , Sixth Edition, is
indispensable for students who wish to gain a deeper understanding of the fascinating and often colorful history of the cultures, the people, and the struggles that have played a part in shaping Latin America.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, School, Latin American History, The Americas, Latinx, Politics

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 1990

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a textbook. So I’m not recommending it to someone just to read. There are better narratives that aren’t textbooks. But for use in the classroom this is a super effective book. Organized well and mostly the chapters aren’t too long. There is social, racial and gender history and a good use of maps and photographs.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Burkholder and Johnson survey the history of Latin America from before the Spanish and Portuguese conquests to the independence of most of Latin America. Along the way, they analyze labor relations, family life, social class, and much more.

There's a ton of information in this book, with a basically chronological organization for the pre-conquest period and conquests at the beginning of the book and, at the end of the book, the expansion of the settlements and the controls by the Spanish and Portuguese governments leading up to the tumultuous period of the Napoleon's invasion of the Iberian peninsula that led eventually to independence.

The middle was organized topically, and this would be my only complaint about the book. This section was a bit harder to follow and make links because different trends like social classes, the economy, and others were separated out from each other. That may have been unavoidable, though. I'm still in the early stages of learning and the authors have made a career of it.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

great textbook on Latin America from Royal Spain, to Native tribes in L.A., missionary/colonization, straight through to the present day people. close to a completely objective view of history...which is rare.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a textbook for an introductory course in Latin America and for what it it is, it is very good. I had such a course almost 50 years ago and a refresher was nice. Many of the problems today relate directly to the Colonial period. The book covers all aspects of society and economics as well as the history of the region. If you need a primer, this one is pretty good.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but not easy to read, even when reading this in a class that gave other sources to read to give even more context. Uses a lot of outdated language/terminology as well.

The attempt to include the experiences of women in colonial society is helpful, but I feel like there could have been more. If we're talking about a society, make an effort to include all of the people who were a part of that society- I wanted more information about non-Christians, queer people, and Black people specifically, basically more than just the Spanish colonial perspective.

[Shannyn Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is packed with useful information about Latin America's political and social development. And when i say "packed" I mean literally, information is just jam-PACKED into long, complicated sentences, with the authors barely skipping a beat between each point. I can barely breathe now just thinking about it. That said, although it is certainly densely written, if you try hard enough you'll learn some important stuff about Spanish colonialism.

[Tabitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating book, though very, very dense and not a good pick for light reading. It covers the centuries before European arrival in South America and goes through the continent's independence from Europe in the nineteenth century. Breaks down the various elements of colonial life--religious, economic, social, etc. Absolutely great for anyone interested in South America or colonialism.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the thematic chapters, which earn 3.5 stars. The chronological ones infuriated me, as many textbooks do: dates, names, dates, names--AUGH! Little context, perfunctory... Many kids find history dull because of this kind of structure. Nonfiction writing, thank god, is getting better and better; unfortunately, this was mostly a snooze!

[Katrina McBride · Rating 1 out of 5]

for class. could have been worse...

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative.