ABSTRACT
Latin America is a region of often perplexing contradictions stemming from the fact that rapid change in some respects interacts with intractable continuities in others. A close-up view of Latin America underscores both its bothersome problems and its resistance to change. In political development toward stable participatory political processes rooted in a viable economy and functional social structures, countries do not move in a continuous or straight line. Basic ethnic, demographic, geographic, and economic factors must be laid on the table before we embark on our analysis of political events, structures, and processes. The racial and ethnic complexity of Latin America is truly impressive, exceeding that of Europe. Latin America is overwhelmingly Christian. It has also been essentially untouched by non-Christian immigration at a time when this has become a significant factor in making both western Europe and the United States less predominantly Christian.
