Periods of World History: a Latin American Perspective is the first serious attempt to write a world history narrative in which Latin America receives serious consideration. The chronology of the work covers the normative period of world history to date?1800 B.C. to 1800 A.D. During this time, differentiation of world societies was at its height. The six civilized core areas of the ecumene interacted but were not moving toward uniformity as was characteristic of the first phase of world history?Theocratic civilizations 3500-1500 B.C. Over the last two centuries, global societies have also tended to coalesce because of westernization, industrialism, nationalism, ideology, and the media. During the normative phase of human history, Latin America moved from being a periphery of Afro-Eurasia to the status of becoming the economic crucible of Spain's vast Catholic monarchy, which was the ecumene's first global power (1492-1648 A.D.), Latin America was again reduced to peripheral status. Periods of World History explains these processes in the larger context of a truly global historical narrative, and as such makes an extraordinary contribution to understanding human social development. Charles Truxillo is a professor of Chicano Studies at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He received his Ph.D. in Latin American history at UNM, and has published two other books, History of Islam, and By the Sword and the Cross. Dr. Truxillo is dedicated to teaching Chicano Studies in the context of Latin America and world history.