Born in Blood and Fire: A Concise History of Latin America

Compare and contrast some of the various nations comprising Latin America. Do they share enough in common to effectively narrate a single history?

What formative historical event did the Portuguese and Spanish share before the Encounter? Did this have any effect on how they dealt with Indigenous populations? If so, why? If not, why not?

What do the terms hegemony and transculturation mean? What effects did these have on colonial and post-colonial Latin America?