ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a synopsis of the historical development of Latin American andCaribbean societies. It surveys the emergence and transformations of egalitarianband and complex chiefdom and state societies, emphasizing when and how these emerged in specific environmental and political contexts. Particular importance is placed on the emergence and expansion of the Aztec and Inca empires in Mesoamerica and the Andes-areas in which significant numbers of indigenous peoples survived the European Conquest. The last section of this chapter focuses on the peopling of the Americas, one of the most significant and highly charged debates in current Latin American and Caribbean archaeology.
