In 1800, the per capita income of the United States was twice that of Mexico and roughly the same as Brazil s. By 1913, it was four times greater than Mexico s and seven times greater than Brazil's. This volume seeks to explain the 19th-century lag in Latin American economic development.

Stephen Haber is Professor of History and Associate Dean for the Social Sciences at Stanford University. He is the author of Industry and Underdevelopment: The Industrialization of Mexico, 1890-1940 (Stanford, 1989).