It would be folly to defend the conception “Latin America” too strongly. In a large area of twenty-odd republics, diverse in geography, resources, and ideologies, and where personalismo has been both a national and individual creed, generalizations tend to crumble when wielded too forcibly. Yet there are common ties of hemisphere, colonial heritage, language, law, and, to some extent, experience. The history of “Latin America” and its constituents is a recognized field of endeavor and will always sustain further study.

Seville was the first and, for most of the sixteenth century, the only European community permitted to trade directly with the New World. That members of her nobility, who were traditionally aloof from trade, were intimately involved testifies to the wealth to be gained and its revolutionary economic and social effects.

Just as the colonial trade created commercial elites in Spain, so, too, did businessmen rise to economic and social importance in the New World. In Central America, for example, the marketers of indigo played an especially significant role.

As Spanish mercantilism sagged in the late eighteenth century, a host of “foreign” traders probed her colonies. This account of one North American group is illustrative of the process of change.

The energy and interplay of Latin American and foreign businessmen in enduring the uncertainties of independence and the obstacles of nature are underscored in this example from the Colombian experience.

Increased state participation in the economy has been a basic trend in twentieth-century Latin America. In the process, however, once-protected private interests may fall—as in this case-study from Mexico.

As Latin American businessmen assess their historical experience, how do they characterize their progress and future?

In the manner of the Creole tradesmen of Louisiana, whose lagniappe to their patrons is legendary, the Editors offer a similar bonus to readers of the Review. Instead of trifling presents added to a purchase, however, our lagniappe will be documents illustrative of the evolution of business enterprise. It is hoped thus to provide a wider availability of the raw materials of business history to teachers and researchers.