Hispanic Heritage Month Web Resources
Overview | Comprehensive
Sites | Facts and Figures | Collective
Biography | Literature, Art, and Music | Genealogy | Primary
Resources | Important Events & Places | Organizations | Where
We Come From | Local Sites
Overview
Hispanic
Threads in America
A short but informative overview of the Hispanic presence in and contributions
to the United States from pre-American Revolution to the present. Written by
Cecilia M. Garcia of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Suggested
readings. For middle school-high school.
Celebrating Hispanic
Heritage
This Gale Research site provides fifty biographies of notable Hispanic
Americans, who range from explorers to political figures to media stars.
There is also a timeline covering 500 years, information on holidays and
celebrations under "activities", and a music section.
Hispanic Heritage Month
From Infoplease.com, this is a site with fun, but
well researched information. Look at “Spanish Loan Words” for
a few surprises. “Spanish Accents” gives the variety of
Spanish spoken around the world. Among the most useful information
are the Notable Hispanic American biographies and Census information
in”Hispanic Americans by the Numbers.”
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Comprehensive
Sites
LANIC
Latino Links
University of Texas, Latin American Information Network links to hundreds of
Latino/Hispanic sites.
Hispanic
Business Online
A megasite with an emphasis on business. Following
the the "Research" link gives
many charts about Hispanic owned companies.
Yahoo en español
A Spanish version of Yahoo, this site concentrates of retrieving websites
written in Spanish. Sites in English of interest to Hispanics are not
retrieved. This excludes many sites in the U.S. which are of interest
to Hispanics.
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Facts and Figures
Anuario Hispanico/Hispanic Yearbook
2005/2006
On the opening page, click on print yearbook to get "THE HISPANIC
COMMUNITY IN THE US" which includes census figures on the Hispanic
population in the U.S. and projected growth. You need Adobe Acrobat to
read these files. There is a searchable database of Hispanic companies,
people, etc.
Hispanic
Population of the United States
Official figures from the Census Bureau . This site has good population
information, as well as historical comparisons, projections, etc. You
need Adobe Acrobat to read some of these files.
Who
are Hispanic Americans?
While this article is primarily about the educational challenges facing Hispanic
Americans, it has good general cultural and demographic information about the
Hispanic population in the U.S. From a 1996 report from the President's Advisory
Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
Latino Ethnic Attitude
Survey
Conducted by Daniel Roy, University of Kansas, this is an interesting
study of self-identification, ethnicity, and language preference. There
is state by state information on how Hispanics label themselves, what
language they prefer, etc.
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Collective Biography
American
Women's History: Hispanic American Women
Part of a comprehensive website on women's history compiled by Ken Middleton,
reference/microforms librarian at Middle Tennessee State University Library.
This site covers not only web resources about Hispanic American women, but print
and electronic sources as well.
Famous Hispanics
Small concise paragraphs on famous Hispanics from the U.S. and elsewhere, from
ancient times to present.
Las Mujeres
Profiles of U.S. and Latin American Women of distinction, historical and present
day. The information in each entry is not standardized, so the coverage is
uneven, but still worthwhile. Click on the Celia Cruz commemorative picture
to enter the site.
Notable
Hispanic Americans, A-Z
Short biographical sketches of Hispanic-Americans from all walks of life. Created
by Infoplease.com, which also produces the print source, the Information Please
Almanac
Hispanic
Americans in Congress 1822-1995
This site gives biographical information on 61 Congressmen telling of their
accomplishments during their terms and a history of their political lives.
Often includes photographs. Alphabetical, chronological, or geographic access.
The introduction outlines the history of the role of Hispanics in the federal
government. Current member information has not been updated. For information
on current members, try the Congressional
Hispanic Caucus Institute.
SACNAS
Biography Project
Highlights the life stories and professional contributions of Chicano and Latino
scientists, mathematicians, and engineers. Created for use in the K-12 classroom
to give role models to minority students. SACNAS is the Society for Advancement
of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science.
Our Journeys/Our Stories: Portraits of Latino Achievement
Twenty-five portraits depict outstanding Latinos
including Nobel laureates, scientists, artists, athletes,
entrepreneurs, politicians, and community activists.
Stories of achievement, self-discovery, roots, and
traditions are celebrated in 25 narratives. From
the Smithsonian.
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Literature, Art,
and Music
Literature | Art | Music
Literature
Find
A Poet
Sponsored by the Academy of American Poets, you
can find many Hispanic poets listed here, like
Jimmy Santiago Baca, Sandra Cisneros, or Lorna
Dee Cervantes.
There is also a "Listening Post" link where you can hear poetry read,
often by the author. Indexed by poet's name or poem title.
Chicano
Literature Index
This is an index of authors that provides bibliographic information on each
author including links to other World Wide Web sites.
Voices
from the Gap: Women Writers of Color
Voices From the Gaps is an instructional website focusing on the lives and
works of North American women writers of color. See Chicana-Latina women writers
category. Indexed by racial/ethnic background, each entry includes a biography,
literary criticism,
and bibliography.
Mounted
at the University of Minnesota.
Américas
Award
The Américas Award is given in recognition of U.S. works of fiction,
poetry, folklore, or selected non-fiction (from picture books to works for
young adults) published in the previous year in English or Spanish that authentically
and engagingly portray Latin America, the Caribbean, or Latinos in the United
States. Lists of winners here will give parents great titles to get for their
children at the library.
Art
Arte
Latino: Treasures from the Smithsonian American
Art
Museum highlights from more than 200 years of Latino art across the United
States. These sixty six paintings, sculptures, and photographs represent many
different cultural traditions developed by mostly Spanish-speaking artists
who have settled in America. Follow the ARTWORKS link to see the pieces in
this exhibit.
Great
Wall of Los Angeles
This wall, painted as part of the Chicano Movement, was created between
1978 and 1983. It depicts the history of minorities in California. Scroll
down and pass your cursor over the central graphic. Learn what is happening
now by clicking on "New Purposed Designs".
Hispanic
Art Links
Links to many museums in Spain, the United States, Central and South America.
Many have virtual collections so that you can view art works on the Web. A
few outdated links, but still a worthwhile site.
Collectors
Guide Online
This site is dedicated to sharing the art of New Mexico. Following the Articles
link at the top of the page will lead you to a large numbers of individual pieces on topics, such as retalbos, collecting milagros, New Mexico Hispanic
crafts etc.
Music
Descarga
A complete resource guide and catalog of tropical Afro-Latin music, with an
online Journal about Latin music containing articles on musical styles and
musicians. While this is a commercial site, its record reviews are written
by music personalities such as Rebeca Mauleón, Nelson Rodriguez, and
Bobby Sanabria. Great glossary of Latin music terms. The depth of the information
is extraordinary.
Guide
to Latin Music
Part of the Caravan Music website, this is an extensive overview of the music
of Latin America. Weakest information is on Central America. Does not include
any information on Latin music in the U.S.
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Genealogy
Cyndi's
List of Genealogy Sources on the Internet
The premier list of genealogy sources, it includes Hispanic genealogy sources
covering the U.S., Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Cites sources
written in both English and Spanish
Hispanic
Ancestors-Latin America/Spain
General genealogical sources as well as links to genealogical information for
specific countries. At About.com.
Hispanic
Genealogy
This is an excellent site if you are just beginning your search for your Hispanic
roots. Al Sosa, the creator of the site is the host of the Hispanic Genealogy
Forum on the web.
WorldGenWeb
Project
This page, located on the RootsWeb.com site, allow you to go directly to genealogy
resources of the country of your choice. In English and Spanish.
Hispanic
Genealogy Center
Mounted by the Hispanic Genealogical Society
of New York, this site is dedicated to encouraging
genealogical research among Hispanics. This site
also has a
new spin-off site for Puerto Rican genealogy.
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Primary Sources
Treaty
of Guadalupe Hidalgo
Text of the treaty by which the United States gained not only Texas but New
Mexico and Upper California. Through this treaty, approximately 78,000 residents
of these lands became American citizens.
Gadsden
Purchase Treaty : December 30, 1853
Mexico sold the U.S. 30,000 square miles of land which included Arizona and
New Mexico, south of the Gila River.
American
Life History
These life histories were written by Folklore Project staff of the Federal
Writers' Project for the U.S. Works Progress (later Work Projects) Administration
(WPA) from 1936-1940. If you search by the states New Mexico or Texas, you
will get many oral histories of Hispanic Americans describing the life and
folklore of both areas. Because the historians interviewed many of the elderly,
the information on life in the late 19th century is extensive. Located at the
Library of Congress.
Treaty
Of Peace Between The United States And Spain;
December 10, 1898
This treaty that ended the war with Spain, freed Cuba, and ceded the territories
of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the U.S. Mounted at Yale University,
the Avalon Project.
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Important Events & Places
General Sites | Pre-Revolutionary
- Florida, the Southwest, South Carolina, Texas | American
Revolution | Mexican-American
War | Civil War | After
the Civil War | Spanish
American War | Turn
of the Century | Great
Depression | World War II | After
World War II
General Sites
National
Register of Historic Places-Celebrate Historic
Heritage Month
Links to interesting places on the National Register and to national parks
and monuments with significant connections to America's Hispanic heritage.
Some places are famous, some just for fun.
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Pre-Revolutionary-Florida,
the California, Southwest, South Carolina, Texas
PBS:
Conquistadors
This PBS resource provides information, including maps, drawings, and letters,
on sixteenth century conquistadors Hernán Cortés, Francisco Pizarro,
Cabeza de Vaca, and Francisco de Orellana.
Spain
In The New World To 1600
Created by the National Park Service, this website
outlines Spanish activity in the New World, not
just in North America.
The Ranch
in Mexico
When the American Southwest was still part of Mexico, ranching became
a major industry. This website tells about the role of the ranch in social
life, the vaqueros, cattle drives, and other things that people often
think of as particularly American. From the Vaquero Exhibit mounted by
the Arizona State Parks.
St.
Augustine: America's Ancient City
Browse the timeline to see pictures and artifacts about the Spanish presence
in St. Augustine. Also includes biographical sketches of important people in
each period. Mounted at the Florida Museum of Natural History.
Santa
Elena, South Carolina
Santa Elena was built in 1566 by the Spanish and remained the capital of Spanish
Florida for 10 years. It was abandoned in 1587. Basic history plus interesting
links to the archaeology of the site with pictures. Website mounted at the
University of South Carolina.
Lucas
Vásquez de Ayllón
Spanish discoverer of Chesapeake Bay and founder of the first European settlement
in North America, San Miguel De Gualdape, in Georgia in 1526. From the Catholic
Encyclopedia.
Handbook
of Texas Online-Exploration
Scan down this web page until you see European discovery and early exploration.
Very detailed and informative, if not very flashy history of the exploration
of Texas. Sponsored by The Texas State Historical Association.
El
Camino Rea de Tierra Adentro
A history of the 1200 mile road that ran from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Mexico
City in the Viceroyalty of New Spain. From the the El Camino Real de Tierra
Adentro Association.
California Mission
History
History of the 21 history missions in California and their role in the
early history of the state. Featuring two histories for each of the twenty-one
California Missions, with beautiful color photographs, fascinating black
and white sketches, and, for the first time ever, authentic mission music.
This music was written in the missions during the late 1700's by the Spanish
padres and the Native Americans who lived and worked there.
Juan Bautista de Anza
This is a summary essay on the accomplishments of
Juan Bautista de Anza, which lead to the colonization
of San Francisco. From Web de Anza. This website
is “dedicated to providing students and scholars
with an organized collection of information about
Juan Bautista de Anza and the two overland expeditions
described above.” Primary source materials
such as diaries, maps, etc.
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American Revolution
Ethnic Heritage of the Revolutionary
War - The Spanish
Spain was instrumental in aiding the American colonists in their struggle for
independence with secret supplies and direct military aid from General Bernardo
Galvez and his troops along the Mississippi and at Pensacola, Florida. Additional
links to other similar coverage
Pivotal
Role at Crucial Time: Cuban Help for our Freedom
In 1781, the women of Havana, Cuba donated jewelry, diamonds, and 1.2 million
pounds sterling to finance the battle of Yorktown, which essentially ended
the American Revolution. From an Orlando Sentinel article. (July 4, 2001.)
Maryland
State Resolution on the Role Played by Hispanics
in the Achievement of American Independence
A resolution before the Maryland State Legislature to recognize the contributions
of Hispanics to the American Revolution. The resolution completely outlines
these contributions in a concise way.
Who was Bernardo de Galvez?
Bernardo de Galvez, Governor of Louisiana, aided
the American cause by allowing badly needed supplies
to be shipped up the Mississippi to patriot forces
in the North. Later he commanded troops in battle
against the British. He was General of Spanish
Colonial forces in North America. From the Galvez
Project.
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Mexican-American
War
U.S.
Mexican War
This war profoundly changed the shape of the United States. In English
and Spanish and Bilingual
Civil War
David Glasgow Farragut
Son of Jorge Farragut, a Spanish immigrant, Admiral Farragut was the Navy's
first four star admiral. In the Civil War's Battle of New Orleans, he gave
his famous order "Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead."
Hispanics in the Civil
War
A short article about Hispanic solders in both the Union and Confederate
armies. From the National Park Service.
Hispanics in Gray and Blue
A listing of Hispanics who fought in the Union and
Confederate armies, with some information on each
soldier.
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After
the Civil War
Ybor
City
In the late 19th century, Ybor City outpaced even Havana in the manufacture
of cigars. This site, by the National Park Service, tells how it was founded
by Cuban immigrants and how it grew. Good visuals.
Spanish American
War
Spanish
American War
An excellent site about the war, with a very balanced approach describing both
imperialism and anti-imperialism sentiment at that time. The treaty, ending
this war, freed Cuba and made Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines U.S. territories.
The
Imprisonment of Men and Women Fighting Colonialism
A time line from the website Puerto Rico
y el Sueno Americano which outlines Puerto Rican nationalism from the Spanish
American War to present.
Turn
of the Century
In
Search of a National Identity
This site is a long essay with links that highlight some of the most important
historical events, beginning in the 1800s, that contributed to the definition
of Puerto Rico's historical and cultural identity. Part of the American Memory,
a digital collection from the Library of Congress.
History
of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920
Mexican
Revolution and Immigration
From the PBS series The
Border, this page is a short summary of the causes of Mexican immigration
from 1910-1920.
Border
Revolution
A history of the Mexican Revolution which includes a wealth of information
on Mexican migration to the United States in response to the conflict. At the
University of San Diego.
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Great Depression
Hispanic
Americans in the Great Depression
This site is an essay on what happened when Mexicans were forced to returned
to Mexico because of the strained economic times in the United States. University
of Memphis.
Mexican
Americans And Repatriation
From the Handbook of Texas Online, a long article about the hardships that
Mexicans faced when they were sent back to Mexico during the Depression.
World War II
American
G.I. Forum
History of the organization which was created to fight discrimination against
Hispanic veterans. A companion piece to "The Border" series broadcast
on PBS.
Los
Braceros
During WWII, there was a great demand for manual labor in the U.S. The site
outlines the program that brought Mexican Americans to work as agricultural
laborers. The purpose of this project is to recover the history of the border
agricultural workers, from their origins in rural México, to the agricultural
fields of America. Available in Spanish.
Hero Street
USA-A History
More than 100 Mexican Americans from the twenty five houses on this street
served in WWII. This page gives the history of this neighborhood and the soldiers
who lived there. A very personal look at war.
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After World War
II
The
Cubans: Their History and Culture
The COR Center produces monographs on the people, history, and cultures of
different refugee groups to help US service providers understand the new refugee
populations. In this history, there is a large section on the Cuban migration
to the U.S. created by the Cultural Orientation Resource (COR) Center, Center
for Applied Linguistics.
Cesar
Chavez
This is the California State Department of Education's
comprehensive site on Chavez. Many primary documents
and interviews. Chavez' biography is available
in a number of languages.
Key
Moments in the Hispanic History of New York
Time line which gives an outline of Puerto Rican immigration to New York.
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Organizations
Congressional
Hispanic Caucus
Official site of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC). CHC is an informal
group of 18 members of Congress of Hispanic descent. The Caucus is dedicated
to voicing and advancing, through the legislative process, issues affecting
Hispanic Americans in the United States and the insular areas.
National Council
of La Raza
The country's premier political think tank for Hispanic issues.
Founded in 1968 to work for civil rights and economic opportunities for Hispanics.
League of United
Latino American Citizens (LULAC)
Founded in 1929, LULAC's mission is to advance the economic conditions, educational
attainment, political influence, health, and civil rights of the Hispanic population
of the United States. The website gives a wealth of information about its history and
current political agenda.
Mexican
American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
The aim of this organization is to "…foster sound public policies,
laws and programs to safeguard the civil rights of the 35 million Latinos living
the United States and to empower the Latino community to full participate in
our society." Follow the links "About Us" and then "Founding
of MALDEF" to learn about the rich history of this organization.
National
Puerto Rican Coalition
The NPRC addresses public policy issues and provides visibility and awareness
of Puerto Rican community issues and concerns at the national level. This is
their official website.
National Association
of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational
Fund
NALEO develops programs that promote the integration of Latino immigrants into
American society, developing future leaders among Latino youth, conducting
research on issues important to the Latino population. Follow this link to
go to pages on naturalization requirements and a naturalization application.
National
Alliance for Hispanic Health
The goal of the Alliance is to improve the health of all Hispanic groups in
America. They run a national health hotline, have a resources
list, and also publish many fact
sheets about Hispanic health issues. You need Adobe Acrobat for the fact
sheets.
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Where We
Come From
HistoricalTextArchive-
Latin America
Dozens of links to the history of countries in Latin America. Many links give
the background and reasons for Hispanic immigration to the United States. Some
links in Spanish, some in English. Don Mabry, Webmaster, is Professor of History,
Mississippi State University.
Hispanic
American Immigration
An overview article from the World Book that traces Hispanic immigration from
the 1500's to the 1990's.
Internet
Resources from Latin America
The links in this guide provide access to many information resources for Latin
American studies. This is an extremely comprehensive site.
Puerto Rico y
el Sueno Americano/and the American Dream
A beautiful website on the history, culture and politics of Puerto Rico, and
the Puerto Rican diaspora. Multimedia site continues oral histories, an online
gallery, timelines, film section, biographical profiles, issues, dialogs, etc.
The
Border
Companion piece to the 6 part PBS documentary about
the Mexico/ U.S. border narrated by journalist
John Quiñones from ABC's "20/20".
The
History, Myths, Arts and Traditions of Mexico
A cultural history of Mexico with many links. Mounted by Access Mexico Connects,
which is an encyclopedia of basic facts on all aspects of Mexico.
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Local Sites
ESL Resources in Montgomery
County
A list of public and private organizations offering ESOL classes in the
county.
Smithsonian
Institution Hispanic Heritage Month Calendar of
Events
Huge list of the activities for adults and children going on from September
15 to October 15 at the Smithsonian. In English and Spanish.
DC Latino
A directory of resources for the Latin/Hispanic community in the Washington
D.C. area.
Charles
W. Gilchrist Center For Cultural Diversity
Located here in Montgomery County, the center is designed to provide activities
and services to the County's diverse community. Links to cultural programs,
ESL program listings, as well as small business programs which include job
fairs.
SalsaMetro.com
This site focuses on salsa, merengue, tango, samba, mambo, and rumba in D.C.,
Maryland , and Virginia. The site lists clubs, instructors, events, etc.
SalsaNews.com
The SalsaNews provides the latest information on classes, clubs, concerts and
special events regarding the music and dance of salsa in the Washington,
DC Community.
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