A lively account of the interaction between European and indigenous artisthat took place during more than 300 years of Spanish and Portuguese colonialnfluence in Latin America (c. 1492-1820). The book offers a fascinatingnsight into viceregal, missionary and civic architecture, as well asainting, sculpture and such 'minor arts' as furniture, textiles and ceramics.his is a long-awaited book on an increasingly popular subject and includesany previously unillustrated works. For over three hundred years, from thera of Christopher Columbus to the struggles for independence around 1820,atin America witnessed an artistic flowering of enormous creativity andriginality. In a unique way, the art and architecture of Aztec, Inca anduarani civilizations blended with those of Europe, North Africa and the Farast. In particular, the Spanish and Portuguese empires in Central and Southmerica created the climate for a flourishing, diverse and distinct versionf Renaissance and Baroque culture, produced under utterly different socialnd geographic conditions from those found in Europe.;The products of this