Buena Vista

“A revealing story of agricultural modernization.” — CHOICE

“Out of the more than a score of agricultural estate histories that were originally researched and published in the Latin American history field in the 1970s and 1980s, Guillermo Baralt’s work stands out as one of the most durable and most useful, especially as it is packaged in this 1999 edition. . . . Buena Vista can be used productively by both students and specialists alike. As a course text, because of its broad thematic applications, it can be used effectively in Latin American history and Latin American studies courses.” — The Americas

“This is an exceptional book, one that any visitor to Puerto Rico should read before making an obligatory visit to the island’s Living Museum of Art and Science.” — Planeta.com

“This splendid book explores the 'other side' of Caribbean agrarian history — the one not dominated by plantations or other large estates. It is the story of a dynamic and successful farming and milling enterprise founded in the southern foothills of Puerto Rico’s central mountain range by a Venezuelan emigre who fled his country’s independence wars. Baralt ably recounts the history of the proprietor and his family, of the market economy in which they operated, and of the slaves and waged laborers who sustained the operation over many decades. Thanks to this wonderful English translation, a contemporary Caribbean classic is now accessible to a wider readership.” — Francisco A. Scarano, University of Wisconsin–Madison