Since Independence at the beginning of the 19th century, Latin America has maintained close links with Britain. This book examines the cultural and social implications of the relationship through a series of case-studies that focus on British, Irish, and West Indian immigrants and their descendants in Mexico, Central, and South America. The contributors-historians, anthropologists, and sociolinguists-explore the past, present, and putative future of English-speaking communities in Latin America and the relationships with their host societies.