Any author whose work covers the whole of Latin America faces a series of problems. These problems are compounded when the period covers nearly two centuries. It is no surprise, therefore, that relatively few studies purport to survey the economic history of Latin America since independence, despite the rapidly expanding literature on the progress of individual countries and provinces. It is, however, the advance at the subregional level that makes necessary and feasible a new economic history for the whole region. From Chile to Mexico, a new generation of scholars has used advanced techniques to mine the primary sources and advance our knowledge across a broad range of issues.

Any economic history of Latin America involves a multidisciplinary approach, which runs the risk of offending the sensibilities of those scholars who prefer to work within a single disciplinary boundary. As a representative of the last generation to be encouraged to stray across disciplines, I have enjoyed the opportunity to draw on a huge literature covering economics, economic history, history, politics, sociology, anthropology, and international relations. As an editor of the multidisciplinary Journal of Latin American Studies since 1986, I have been uniquely privileged to gain access to new research in this area before it becomes widely disseminated.

A book such as this one cannot be written without accumulating many debts. Only a few can be mentioned here.