In 1800, the per capita income of the United States was twice that of Mexico and roughly the same as Brazil s. By 1913, it was four times greater than Mexico s and seven times greater than Brazil's. This volume seeks to explain the 19th-century lag in Latin American economic development. "This outstanding book is a major event in the modernization of Latin American economic history, the first anthology of the work of leading 'new economic historians' of Latin America."-John H. Coatsworth, Harvard University