McCreery holds graduate degrees in Latin American Studies and History from Tulane University and in Social Anthropology from the University of London. He teaches at Georgia State University and has been a visiting Professor at Tulane University, University of Wisconsin, and the Federal Universities of Minas Gerais and Goias in Brazil.

Chapter 1. Encounter and Accommodation, 1480-1550
Chapter 2. The Colonial System, 1550-1750
Chapter 3: Cities and Towns, 1750-1850
Chapter 4: Export Economies, 1850-1930
Chapter 5: Work in Modern Latin America

"The kinds of questions McCreery poses are the kind teachers everywhere find useful in trying to encourage students to think of history as a dynamic rather than a static process. ... a good introductory text for undergraduate survey courses on Latin America, especially those dealing with labor history."