The concept of Constitution in contemporary latin american constitutionalism

This article discusses the concept of Constitution in contemporary legal culture in Latin America. The thesis raised is that the notion of written Constitution, by itself, is insufficient to fully explain the constitutional re-ality and so it needs to be complemented. This complement is located out-side the linguistic statements of the constitutional text and comprehend interpretations, customs and some features of constitutional discourse. If true, this thesis, she would explain in a better way the current praxis of Constitutional Law than the recourse to the sole idea of a written Con-stitution. Additionally, it would reveal a tendency towards convergence between Common Law and Civil Law countries, blurring this traditional distinction in western legal culture and leading to a Global Constitutional Law, a trend which would be also present in Latin America.