Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Figures ix
4. A New Introduction: More than Three Decades of Writing on Spanish Central America, 1973-2006 xi
5. Preface lv
6. By Way of Introduction: The War of the Worlds 1
7. Part One. THE SOCIETY OF CONQUEST AND ENCOMIENDA, 1520-1576
8. 1. The Central American Background and Conquest 23
9. 2. Slaves and Silver: The First Exports 46
10. 3. Ephemeral Hopes 64
11. 4. Soconusco, A Hint of Things to Come 68
12. 5. The Cacao Boom 80
13. 6. From Conquest to the Emergence of Order and Pattern 96
14. 7. The Two Republics, Indians and Spaniards, in the Age of Encomienda 120
15. Part Two. YEARS OF TRIAL AND MUCH ERROR: THE ECONOMICS OF SEARCH AND DIVERSIFICATION, C. 1576-1635
16. 8. Attempts to Revive Declining Industries 145
17. 9. The Search for New Industries and Trades 152
18. 10. Indigo, 1580-1720: Possibilities and Frustrations 176
19. 11. The Effects of the Crisis on Local Populations and Economy 204
20. Part Three. THE SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY DEPRESSION AND THE FIRST SIGNS OF RECOVERY, C. 1635-1720
21. 12. The Aftermath of a Boom: Seventeenth-Century Cacao 235
22. 13. Honduran Mining: The Emergence of a Local Industry and Culture 253
23. 14. External Trades in the Depth of the Depression 264
24. 15. The Currency Crisis 280
25. 16. Men and Land in Mid-Century: Contraction and Isolation 288
26. 17. The Two Republics in the Years of Depression 310
27. 18. Costa Rican Cacao 330
28. 19. Signs of Strain and Change (c. 1685-1720) 341
29. 20. The Growth of a New Solution: The Rise of Smuggling 348
30. Conclusion 374
31. Appendix 390
32. Abbreviations 393
33. Notes 395
34. Glossary 467
35. Bibliography 472
36. Index 513