This is a complete and detailed study on how Spanish-American towns and villages were altered by wars and natural disasters during the colonial period. Careful rendering of humanized landscapes, this study focuses on three key issues, the inestability of the urban civilization in the West Indies, the political and symbolic importance given to cities by the conquerors, and the distinctive characteristics of urban politics compared to the current Latin-American enviroment. This work is an important step towards the understanding of Spanish-American Urban civilization.
