Hispanic Exploration Primary Sources
From the Library of Congress
Art & Photographs:
Library of Congress resources including historiographies and photographs of artifacts, writings, paintings, sculptures etc. from early Americas that can help guide teaching and learning.
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- Pre-Contact America
- Explorations and Encounters
- Aftermath of the Encounter
Music:
Latin Music History: The Maracas Indigenous Origins
Fascinating History and Origins of Latin Music
Short articles about how African, Spanish, and Indigenous culture all played a part in influencing Latin American music history.
History of Latin Music in the USA Part 1
History of Latin Music in the USA Part 2
BBC documentary detailing the history of Latin music and culture in the United States. Each part is 15 minutes, available on YouTube.
The Sound of Silence Using Ancient Indigenous Instruments
YouTube video showing a cover of a modern song using instruments from pre-Hispanic times. The artists are from Ecuador and also sing in their native language of Quechua. Similar resources found on Indigenous Music.
Biographies, Autobiographies, and Memoirs:
Windows into My World: Latino Youth Write Their Lives by Sarah Cortez
Short essays written by young men and women from various Latino backgrounds, reflecting the diversity of growing up Latino in the United States.
The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border by Juan Villalobos
Provides an understanding of issues of immigration and the U.S.–Central American refugee crisis through the perspectives and experiences of eleven real migrant teenagers.
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez
A collection of twelve autobiographical stories by Santa Clara University professor Francisco Jiménez, who in 1947 at four years old illegally crossed the U.S. border with his family.
The Conquest of New Spain by Bernal Diaz Del Castillo
First-person account of the overthrow of Montezuma's Aztec Empire by Hernan Cortes by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, a soldier under Cortes.
The Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande
Reyna tells the story of her family's journey to the U.S. in pursuit of the American dream.
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero
Diane Guerrero stars in the television show Orange Is the New Black. At age 14 years old her parents were detained and deported while she was at school. Guerrero tells her story, including staying in the U.S. to complete her education as an undocumented resident.
American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood by Marie Arana
Marie Arana tell her story of spilt cultural identity as both a Peruvian and American living first in Peru and then in the United States.
When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago
Esmeralda Santiago grew up in Puerto Rico, then immigrated to New York. This memoir tells her story as one of eleven children who adjusts to new rules, a new language, and a new identity.
Sonia Sotomayor: My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
The first Hispanic and third woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor tells her life story rising from a Bronx housing project to the federal bench.
Two Badges: The Lives of Mona Ruiz by Mona Ruiz
This memoir follows Ruiz’s life as she struggles with self-identity and contradictory roles.
The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez
Domingo Martinez's memoir provides a narrative about 1980s Texas in a border town with colliding cultures.
House of Houses by Pat Mora
Pat Mora reconstructs the experiences of her Mexican-American family by having her relatives, living and dead, narrative the family story.
