This article examines the literature on the internationalization of the curriculum in higher education in South America, identifying two major contrasting trends, each with different approaches and objectives. The internationalization and regional integration of universities in Latin America are not exclusive objectives, but rather complementary facets that reflect the universalist nature of the university. One approach to the definition of curriculum internationalization refers to "the internationalization of the curriculum as a strategy to promote the inclusion in curricula of international and regional perspectives, trends and strategies.