Marilyn Grace Miller is Assistant Professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Introduction : the cult of Mestizaje 1
Ch. 1 Jose Vasconcelos' about-face on the cosmic race 27
Ch. 2 Caribbean counterpoint and Mulatez 45
Ch. 3 Tango in black and white 79
Ch. 4 Showcasing mixed race in Northeast Brazil 96
Ch. 5 Dis/encounters in the labyrinths : Mestizaje in Quito 119
Epilogue : globalization, cyberhybridity, and fifth world Mestizaje 141

Observation shows us that, in the case of America, the sole invariable characteristic in the mosaic of its ethnic makeup has been its constant and rich mestizaje.