Book excerpt: This book provides an overview of governance and development in the Mesoamerican Region (MAR), the design and scope of the Plan Puebla Panamá (PPP), its relationship to pre-existing regional organisms and its transformation into Proyecto Mesoamérica. The PPP was introduced as a holistic project that would reverse the cycles of poverty in Mesoamerica. However, the plan incited huge opposition from many groups within Mesoamerica, and throughout its duration few of its objectives were met. The author analyses the plan and describes the regional setting and precursors, as well as the US policy towards the Mesoamerican countries. Using this approach with an analysis of governance in Mesoamerica, this monograph shows a more complete picture of why this ambitious development project did not reach its goals and draws applicable insights to other regions where governance is complex.