Mostly I got a sense for the dramatic story that these many diverse and connected peoples have experienced. Also I found the stories of the heroes and heroines of the attempted revolutions penetrating. It also affected the behavior of Peru's elite in coming independence wars.

It set off the Tupac Catari, and killed 100,000. It called for the revolt of American Born whites, meztizos, and indigenous people. The analysis of the class structures, and how they have continued in different forms from government to government was detailed and convincing. Mestizo Tupac II claimed Inca royal descent, and called his rebellion 'anti-peninsular', which was the name for spanish born people. The Cold War and the effects of globalization after de-colonization in Latin America was also fascinating. The history of Brazil, how it was once the seat of the Portuguese royal family, and the various nations on the southern tip of South America that have struggled with development offered a fascinating glimpse at a rarely talked about region of the world. The stories of Cuba and the communist rebellions were totally understandable when appreciated in light of the historical context that this book presents. The legacy of colonial and Spanish rule is a legacy of serfdom verses elitism. This book tells the tale of the total inequalities that have infested so much of Latin America over the past five hundred years.

Born in the fire