Growing evidence suggests that although traditionally depicted as ‘diseases of affluence’, chronic non-communicable diseases actually strike along the fault lines of social inequality. The challenge of understanding how these conditions shape patterns of population health in Latin America requires an inter-disciplinary lens. This paper reviews the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases in the region, examines key myths surrounding their prevalence and distribution, and argues that a social justice approach rooted in the idea of health inequity needs to be at the core of research in this area. In conclusion, an approach to guide empirical research – the ‘average / deprivation / inequality’ framework is discussed.