Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Origins -- A diversity of sources -- Amerindians -- Confusion at the first encounter -- Controversies -- Prehistoric development -- Europeans -- Small but important -- Prehistory -- Cultural development -- Factors responsible for the Maritime Epopee -- Africans -- The cradle of mankind -- Cultural development -- State formation -- The tragic commerce -- Other contributors -- The Asian connection -- A millenarian civilization -- Kaleidoscopic people and social structures -- The 'discovery' -- Starting with one mistake -- Ideology and prejudices -- Environment and history -- A convenient geographic subdivision -- A highly diversified environment -- Middle America -- South America -- Environment/human interaction -- Power distribution: the two Americas -- The Conquest -- Spanish America -- Portuguese America -- Colonial period -- Spanish America -- Portuguese America -- British, Dutch and French possessions -- The road to independence -- Further developments -- Present situation -- Middle America -- South America -- An interpretative synthesis -- Society formation and problems of development -- Classification -- Socioeconomic indices, demography and population structure -- Biology, culture and the environment -- Does Latin America exist? -- Micro-versus macroanalyses -- Macrodemography and economics -- Historical demography -- Migration -- Spanish-speaking countries and Carib -- Brazil -- Inbreeding and isonymy -- Demographic trends -- Population policies and trend reversals -- The changing impact of mortality.

The human genetic make-up of Latin America is a reflection of successive waves of colonization and immigration. To date there have been few works dealing with the biology of human populations at a continental scale, and while much information is available on the genetics of Latin American populations, most data remain scattered throughout the literature. This volume examines for the first time Latin American human populations in relation to their origins, environment, history, demography and genetics, drawing on aspects of nutrition, physiology and morphology for an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. The result is a fascinating account of a people characterized by a turbulent history, marked heterogeneity and unique genetic traits. Of interest to students and researchers of genetics, evolution, biological anthropology and the social sciences, this book will also appeal to anyone concerned with the multifaceted evolution of our species and constitutes an important volume not only for anthropological genetics, but also for Latin American research.