Latin American Studies: Reference Sources

General History and Culture

Europa World Online

Includes economic, political and geographic background information and statistical data by country; regional surveys provide in-depth, expert analysis at regional, sub-regional and country level.

Atlas of Hispanic American History

Provides an overview of the Spanish, African, and Native American heritage of today’s Hispanic-American cultures. Covers adaptation of Hispanic immigrants to life in the United States, discrimination, contributions, and impact on American history. Includes original maps, photographs, diagrams, graphs, and chronologies.

Call Number:
Ref E184 .S75 O287 2001

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Cuba: People, History, Culture
2 volumes

Presents more than 700 articles written by 80 contributors on all aspects of Cuba's fascinating history, its complex present situation, and its land, culture, and relationship with the rest of the world, especially the United States.

Call Number:
Ref F1754 .E53 2003

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Contemporary Latin American and Caribbean Cultures
3 volumes

Spanning a period from 1920 to the present day, this A-Z resource features 4000 entries on more than 40 regions in Latin America and the Caribbean. "Culture" in this work encompasses food, sports, religion, television and other mass media, transportation, music and other performing arts, architecture, visual arts, politics, and a wide range of other cultural phenomena. Entries include: Miguel Angel Asturios, bananas, bossa nova, Candomble, carnival, cholera, cockfighting, debt crisis, Carlos Fuentes, Higher Education, hurricanes, Indigenismo, Frida Kahlo, lambada, Liberation Theology, La Nacion, poster art, Quechua, salsa, sancocho, Fernando Solanos, syncretism, Teatro Abierto, television, and much more.

Call Number:
Ref F1406 .E515 2000

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture
5 volumes

Spans the centuries from the earliest civilizations of the Olmec, Maya, and Chavin to the present day. The region is broadly defined to include South America, Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, and the historical Spanish borderlands north of the Rio Grande that are now part of the United States. The set emphasizes political, economic, and social history, yet does not overlook those elements of material and popular culture that have affected the history of Latin America.

Call Number:
Ref F1406 .E53 1996

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society and Culture
2 volumes

Presents an overview of the specific events and broad processes of Mexican history, society and culture from ancient civilizations to the present day. Consisting of some 600 entries, it is a collaborative effort that has involved more than 350 leading scholars from a variety of different countries.

Call Number:
Ref F1210 .E63 1997

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America
2 volumes

A compilation of essays on various American ethnic groups including Hispanic Americans. Each essay provides a historical overview of the group, settlement patterns, acculturation and assimilation, cultural lifestyle, language, religion, individual and group contributions, politics and government, family and community dynamics, and more.

Call Number:
Ref E184 .A1 G14 1995

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Hispanic American Almanac

Covers all aspects of Hispanic-American history and culture in business, population growth, religion, arts, and more. Includes a chronology of historical events and a glossary of Spanish terms

Call Number:
Ref E184 .S75 H557 2003

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Hispanic Firsts: 500 Years of Extraordinary Achievement

Chronicles 500 years of pioneering Hispanic achievements in the arts, business, labor, science and technology, literature, civil rights, government, and other fields. Includes a bibliography for further reading, subject index, and a timeline of historical events.

Call Number:
Ref E184 .S75 K36 1997

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

The Hispanic Presence in North America from 1492 to Today

Surveys the role Spanish explorers, missionaries, and settlers played in the United States. Includes a historical timeline, listing of Hispanic periodicals and associations, and radio and television stations broadcast in Spanish.

Call Number:
Ref E169.1 .F375 1999

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Latin America

Covers geographical setting, history, current government, politics, cultures, economic problems and prospects, with maps of each, photographs and original art.

As events become more remote, their descriptions are condensed. This allows more space to present important, current happenings, why they occurred, and their future significance. The result: a well-proportioned, complete text, which is not crowded with unnecessary detail. Revised and published annually.

Call Number:
Ref G1 .W674

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Latino Encyclopedia
6 volumes

Covers Latino life including entries on people, history, cultural movements, religion, and entertainment. Includes a bibliography of reference works, historical timeline, lists of businesses, educational institutions, and films.

Call Number:
Ref E1684 .S75 L357 1996

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

A Reference Guide to Latin American History

Presents significant events of Latin American history from its origins up through 1999. Organized by topic, and by time period.

Call Number:
Ref F1410 .R395 2000

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Worldmark Encyclopedia of the Nations
6 volumes

Volume 3: Americas

Essential information on countries of the world, including government, economics, social welfare programs, education, and cultural affairs. Includes maps and flags.

Call Number:
Ref G63 .W67 2001

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Worldmark Chronology of the Nations
4 volumes

Volume 2: Americas

Provides comprehensive overviews and detailed timelines of 194 nations with coverage of political, economic, cultural and social history. Includes in-depth, cross-disciplinary essays, biographies, primary document excerpts, term definitions, bibliographies, further reading and much more.

Call Number:
Ref G133 .W93 1999

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
4 volumes

Volume 2: Americas

Covers history, politics, customs, religion, education, human rights issues, teen life and much more for culture groups such as Guaranis, Mexicans, Maya, and more than 500 others.

Call Number:
Ref GN333 .W67 1998

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

CultureGrams
2 volumes

Briefly describes each country’s history, people, customs, and lifestyle.

Call Number:
Ref GT150 .C85 2001

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Biographies

Contemporary Hispanic Biography
2 volumes

Contains biographical profiles of prominent persons in the international Hispanic community. Entries include additional resources such as books, periodicals, and online sources. Individuals are searchable by name, subject, and occupation.

Call Number:
Ref E184 .S75 C66

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Notable Latino Americans
2 volumes

Provides biographical profiles of U.S. Latinos / Latinas, highlighting their goals, struggles, and important contributions to American life and culture. Appendices include individuals listed by ethnic subgroups and professional fields.

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Notable Twentieth-Century Latin American Women

Highlights the achievements of Latinas in a broad range of fields including politics, art, religion, education, literature, popular culture, and sciences. Includes appendices listing entries by fields of endeavor and country.

Call Number:
Ref CT3290 .N68 2001

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of World Biography
17 volumes

In-depth biographical entries on 7,200 people from all time periods and all walks of life, including history, literature, politics and government, religion, science, business, sports, art and entertainment, technology and more.

Call Number:
Ref CT103 .E56 1998

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Art

Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Art

Covers the art of every country in Central and South America and the Caribbean, from the colonial period to the present day. Country surveys chart the evolution of artistic traditions and the melding of European and native art forms not only in architecture and the fine arts, but also in interior design, metalwork, textiles and other decorative arts, and include discussions of art patronage and training in each nation. Biographics range from the 17th-century architect and sculptor Juan Tomas Tuyru Tupac Inca, a descendent of the Inca nobility, to the youngest artist profiled, Jac Lierner. Coverage also includes discussions of influential national and international art movements and such issues as the role of the Jesuits in the establishment of Christian artistic traditions, Latin American art in the USA, and women artists in Latin America. The 1296 entries are complemented by 396 black-and-white and 84 colour illustrations.

Call Number:
Ref N6502 .E53 2000

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Economics

Worldmark Encyclopedia of National Economies
4 volumes

Volume 3: Asia & The Pacific

Provides accurate, in-depth analysis of each country's economic environment, reliable statistics on the country's current economic conditions and trends and key demographics of the nation's citizens. The approximately 200 entries each employ consistent organization allowing users to easily locate, compare and contrast data from one country to the next. Includes a glossary of terms, country index, maps, charts and graphs.

Call Number:
Ref HC15 .W675 2002

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Film

Biographical Handbook of Hispanics and United States Film

Contains biographical profiles of Hispanic figures in Spanish and American cinema with selected photos, posters, and other images. Includes indexes of individual and group names and film and television show titles.

Call Number:
Ref PN1995.9 H47 K46 1997

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Ethnic Groups in Hollywood

Explores the stereotypical representation of five ethnic groups including Hispanic Americans in the context of the Hollywood film industry. Contains biographical profiles on key actors, entertainers, and filmmakers and topical entries on ethnic stereotypes, genres, and themes.

Call Number:
Ref PN1995.9 .M56 M85 2003

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Guide to Latin American, Caribbean, and U.S. Latino-Made Film and Video

Contains annotations of films and videos by Latin American and U.S. Latino film / video makers, categorized by country. Entries include ways of introducing films to U.S. audiences and incorporating films into diverse curricula. Includes title and subject indexes in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Call Number:
Ref PN1995.9 L37 G85 1998

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Graphics and Photos

AP Images

Associated Press (AP) photographs, graphics, and text for all news topics.

San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection

Photographs from the San Francisco Public Library's Historical Collection.

Literature

Literary Cultures of Latin America
3 volumes

Explores the shifting problems that have arisen across national borders, geographic regions, time periods, linguistic systems, and cultural traditions in literary history. Also takes into account relevant political, anthropological, economic, geographic, historical, demographic, and sociological research in order to understand the full context of each community's literature.

Call Number:
Ref PQ7081 .A1 L525 2004

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Dictionary of Literary Biography
285+ volumes

Volumes 113 & 145: Modern Latin-American Fiction Writers.
Volumes 82, 122, & 209: Chicano Writers.

The massive Dictionary of Literary Biography series offers biographical essays and literary overviews of writers from around the world.

Volumes 113 and 145 attempt a fair representation of modern fiction from every Latin-American country, highlighting not only the great canonical figures of the internationally recognized Boom period, but also the underrepresented, forgotten, and marginalized writers who have contributed to the development of the region's high quality of fiction and without whom a study of modern Latin-American fiction would be necessarily fragmented and incomplete. Above all, these two volumes indicate the wealth and strength of fiction from Latin America since World War II and point toward promising things to come.

Call Number:
Ref PS129 .D536 v.113 & 145

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Latin American Literature

Compiles entries on various writers, works, and topics related to Latin American literature. Entries include a critical overview of each writer, biographical sketches, their primary works, and supplementary sources for further reading.

Call Number:
Ref PQ7081 .A1 E56 1997

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Hispanic Literature Criticism
4 volumes

Guide to the criticism of major Hispanic literature. Includes biographical details, an overview of each writer’s genre(s), summaries of prominent works, and critical commentaries. Includes additional sources for further study.

Call Number:
Ref PQ7081 .A1 H573 1994

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Latino and Latina Writers
2 volumes

Investigates the lives, works, and themes of Chicano and Chicana, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Dominican writers. Includes extensive, original essays on such well-known writers as Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, and Rudolfo Anaya as well as on important, though less well-known authors as Tino Villanueva and Judith Ortiz Cofer. Special thematic essays also cover important issues in Latino literature, such as the role of music, language, feminism, and history.

Call Number:
Ref PS153 .H56 L39 2004

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Latin American Writers
4 volumes

Covers Latin American literary history from colonial times to the present, including Spanish American and Brazilian writers. Entries include biographical descriptions relating the writers to the sociohistorical and literary influences that have motivated each subject’s work.

Call Number:
Ref PQ7081 .A1 L37 1989

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Music

American Musical Traditions
5 volumes

Volume 5: Latino American and Asian American Music

Contains essays on past and present music communities, traditions, and styles. Some biographical profiles of musicians and musical groups include interviews. Includes a selected biography, discography, videography, and glossary of musical terms and concepts.

Call Number:
Ref ML3551 .A53 2002

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music
10 volumes

Vol. 2: South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean

A Multidisciplinary survey of the musical background, concepts, processes, and sounds of Latin America. Written by leading experts and researchers and including photographs, maps, charts, texts, music notation, and audio examples.

Call Number:
Ref ML100 .G16 1998

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor;

CD-ROMs: Gleeson Circulation Desk, 1st Floor

World Music: The Rough Guide
2 volumes

Volume 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific

Spans the music of seventy different countries and regions - everything from salsa to soukous, cajun to calypso, rai to qawwali. The detailed coverage brings together more than sixty expert contributors, whose feature articles take in the music to be seen and heard live around the globe, as well as on record. Major pieces are backed up by interviews with the key groups and artists, translations of lyrics, and extensive reviews and discographies.

Call Number:
Ref ML102 .W67 W67 1999

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Politics

Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics

Contains information on the current and past political development of Puerto Rico and independent republics of Central and South America and the Caribbean with a focus on the 20th century. Country profiles include economic, political, and social data with additional entries on political figures, organizations, and dynamics. Includes a glossary of economics and political terms.

Call Number:
Ref F1410 .E56 2002

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor

Encyclopedia of Minorities in American Politics
2 volumes

Contains brief articles highlighting the political struggles of minority groups including Hispanic Americans and their historical and contemporary impact on the United States. Sample entries cover people, key events, court cases, and civil movements. Includes appendices of primary documents, timeline of events in conjunction with other minority groups, and a list of ethnic organizations.

Call Number:
Ref E184 .A1 E574 2000

Location:
Gleeson Reference Room, 1st Floor