Born in blood and fire: A concise history of Latin America. . - Mixed Media - book review

New Internationalist, Jan-Feb, 2002 by George Fisher

John Chasteen

(W W Norton, ISBN 0393976130)

Latin American histories have tended to treat the region as if it were moored off the Spanish or Portuguese coast. Born in Blood and Fire is a welcome change, looking beyond the obvious to explain the political, social and economic trends that have helped shape Latin America and endow its nations so richly.

Chasteen deals efficiently with class systems and complex racial diversity. He does not condescend when discussing regional struggles that have ebbed and flowed since the days when some Mayan cities were superstates and others formed NATO-like alliances to fend off rivals. Nor does he take the high ground when dealing with the errors of the post- and neo-colonial periods, nor with continuing social injustices.

The book is refreshing for the way it handles the search for new national identities, as well as the often-devious ways the US has treated its southern neighbours. It is also insightful in showing how the European ideas of liberalism and nationalism helped the indigenous peoples' long struggle for political and, more recently, economic independence.

This is history made accessible through the lives of ordinary women and men: not only Simon Bolivar, who spread a revolutionary gospel of independence, Che Guevara and Canek, a Yucatec Maya who led a short but important revolt against Spanish rule in Mexico in 1761; but also Cortes, Malinche, Sister Juana Ines de Ia Cruz, and Manuel Hidalgo.

This impressive book has much else to offer, including the role of popular music in raising political consciousness.

RATING ****

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