Political ecology, an interdisciplinary field in constant construction, is a theoretical-analytical tool of relevance, above all in light of the unequal intensification of energy and material consumption, the undesired effects of certain technologies, and the generation of waste whose impacts are seen evermore in socio-environmental conflicts of diverse nature and scale. The article revises the origins and development of political ecology, putting emphasis on Latin American contributions and tracing some reflections around the construction of alternatives from and for the people of Latin America.