In Chapter One, "The Origins of a Multiracial Society," E. Bradford Burns focuses on the history and geography of Latin America. He also surveys the political history of Europe, particularly Spain and Portugal, and Africa, as these countries played an important part in Latin America's development. Basically, the area stretches from the Rio Grande to Cape Horn, varying widely in geographic and human composition (Burns 2). It encompasses 18 Spanish-speaking republics, French-speaking Haiti, 5 English-speaking Caribbean nations, and Portuguese-speaking Brazil. Altogether, the area includes approximately 8 million square miles and a rapidly growing population in excess of 460 million people (Burns 2). However, Burns notes, despite its size, growing population, and resources, it has remained largely underdeveloped and its potential unfulfilled (Burns 2).
Burns argues that a greater racial mixing has occurred in Lain America than in any other part of the world because of its unique history (Burns 6). The current population's historical antecedents lie with a group of people mistakenly referred to as "Indians" by Columbus (Burns 7). Of these early peoples, the Mayas, Incas, and Aztecs were the most successful and dominant. They shared a highly-structured society with an omnipotent emperor at the helm (Burns 9). However, each civilization was also impressive for its singular achievements. The Mayans developed an extremely efficient agricultural system, a type of writing (the only Indians in the hemisphere to do so), the zero, and numeration by position (Burns 7). The Incas, the largest oldest and best organized of the civilizations, was a rigidly regimented system that operated without written records or accounts. Burns notes their achievements in pottery, weaving, medicine and agriculture were magnificent (Burns 7). Finally, the Aztecs were also highly successful, having devised the pictograph, an accurate calendar, an impre...