This paper examines similarities and differences regarding the varying historical experiences with different types of sociopolitical matrices (SPMs) in Latin America including when they began, their duration in time, their degree of consolidation, the nature of their within-type evolution, and the process of their decomposition. This paper also examines the degree of path dependence experienced in each of five countries in the region (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru) regarding the evolution from one type of SPM to another, into the present era. The end result is a comparative framework within which contrasting country experiences can be located. The paper relies on the historical analysis of these five countries' experiences informed by the SPM analytical framework (some of which will also be presented on this panel).