The city with the largest population is Mexico’s capital. The regional finance capital is Panama City. Brasília is the capital of Brazil, which has the continent’s biggest economy. Latin America’s exiles — from the Cubans to the Venezuelans themselves — head north to Miami, where Spanish is often more commonly spoken than English.

A peace agreement with Colombia’s rebels was even hammered out in Havana, a capital that had longstanding ties to both the rebels and the Colombian government.

While other parts of the world have centers of gravity — think of Beijing, Brussels and Washington — Latin America is still searching for its own.

That’s it for this briefing, the second in our new format. We’d love to hear your thoughts at briefing@nytimes.com. See you next time. — Melina

Thank you

To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Nicholas Casey, the Andes bureau chief for The Times, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.

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