With the entry into force of the American Convention on Human Rights,' the inter-American system for the promotion and protection of human rights became a two-prong system. The first prong is formed by the mechanisms developed under the Charter of the Organization of American States (OAS), which authorizes the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to supervise human rights in the territories of OAS member states. The second prong is composed of the mechanisms set forth in the Convention, which authorizes the Commission and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to handle complaints of human rights violations allegedly committed by any state party to the Convention, and further provides for the Court to exercise advisory jurisdiction. The purpose of this article is to analyze the manner in which these second, Convention-based mechanisms have started to operate. In Part I, I briefly examine the way the Commission operated before the Convention entered into force and then describe the changes that the Convention brought. This section concludes with a discussion of limitations that may impede the