What doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his own soul? Quite a lot actually. You can go from the illegitimate son of a nobleman, illiterate, disregarded in Spain and become the Governor General of Peru, lord of all you survey (Pizarro) or you can use your manipulative charms (and unbounded capacity for deceit) and move from being a notary to lay claim to Mexico (Cortes) - and maybe, just maybe if you weave into your entourage just the right kind of priest, you may cling to your soul as well! Maria Arana's exploration of Latin American history is through these three lenses: silver (extractive industry and greed), sword (violence and authoritarianism) and stone (religion) and how they interweave. It is not a pretty sight. By her own admission, she is looking at the dark side of her continent's history, one that continues to cast a shaping shadow over the present, making all the real progress that has been achieved, especially most recently the reduction