Global integration has advanced in a vertiginous way, but in an unequal and unbalanced manner, affecting regions, countries, enterprise and individuals within the scenario of winners and losers, concentrating power and marginalizing the poor. This paper utilizes certain Latin American and Mexican socio-economic indicators in order to demonstrate the contradictions generated by the present development model, the consequences of which are reflected in the serious proportions that poverty and inequality have acquired in these countries. More than just a description, we propose a reflection on the challenges to be faced in order to reach this long awaited development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]