Encompassing Amazonian rainforests, Andean peaks, coastal lowlands, and the Galpagos Islands, Ecuadors geography is notably diverse. So too are its history, culture, and politics, all of which are examined from many perspectives in . Spanning the years before the arrival of the Spanish in the early 1500s to the present, this rich anthology addresses colonialism, independence, the nations integration into the world economy, and its tumultuous twentieth century. Interspersed among forty-eight written selections are more than three dozen images.