pt. 1. Before the great encounter
Native America
Castile and Portugal
Atlantic Africa
pt. 2. The long conquest
The Iberian imperial dawn
Native American empires
The chain of conquest
The incomplete conquest
pt. 3. The colonial middle
Native communities
Black communities
The religious renaissance
Deviancy, discipline, and identity
Daily life in city and country
pt. 4. The age of change
War and reform
Late-colonial times
Independence
Conclusion: The Latin American puzzle.