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Fuentes, Carlos. The Campaign. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1990.

In The Campaign, Carlos Fuentes presents an extremely detailed view of Latin America during its revolutionary period beginning in 1810. Fuentes' intent for this book seems to have been to show the diversity and complexity of the Latin American revolution by examining all sides of the struggle and how they interacted with one another. He accomplishes this examination through his main character, Baltasar Bustos. Fuentes, with the help of Manuel Varela, the narrator and Baltasar's friend, describes the life of Baltasar Bustos during this revolutionary period. He describes Baltasar's views as a Buenos Aires porteo and intellectual, he shows his growth as an active revolutionary, and he illustrates his transformation from an idealistic boy to a more world savvy, realistic man. At the same time, through his recounting of Baltasar's life, Fuentes is able to present the reader with an in-depth description and analysis of the Latin American revolution during the early 1800's.

The historical aspects of the book are critical to the overall backdrop of the story. Fuentes intertwines factual historical circumstances and specific events with his story as a means of developing the plot, his characters, and giving the reader an extended understanding of the time period. Some of the main historical themes that Fuentes includes as features of the story include: the racial differences of Latin America and how the social hierarchy contributed to the political environment, the different views concerning independence and the prospect of revolution, location and boundaries as an influence on political opinions, foreign events and their impact on the society, and the roles of significant historical figures of the revolution. All of these aspects contributed to, not only the development of the story and the main character, but also to the historical relevancy of the book.
One of the major themes in The Campaign has to do with the issue of race and equality with regard to the Spanish colonies in America and the subsequent effect that a revolution would have on such an issue. Within the Spanish American colonies the hierarchy of the various racial or social groups was very distinct and determined much of the social order and power structure. Creoles, or those of Spanish heritage born in the colonies, were subservient to people born in Spain. Mestizos and Mulattos, those of a mixed ethnic background, were below

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