The Latin American Ecocultural Reader

This collection of texts from the early colonial period to the present is centered on the natural world of Spanish-speaking countries and Brazil, featuring prominent authors from the canon—such as poets Rubén Darío, Alfonsina Storni and Pablo Neruda—and modern voices writing for marginalized communities within the environmental cultures, including Chico Mendes and Pope Francis. A short essay about the selection’s author precedes each writing, and essays contextualizing the historical environments of the eight highlighted time periods help the reader understand the nuances of the pieces. The editors tie current environmental thought to European appropriation of the New World.