Modern Latin American History
This page has information to help with the HIST411 course Latin America Since Independence. The time period is beginning 19th century to the present. Area focus is on Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Anyone doing research on this and related historical topics should find this page useful. See also Latin American Art for that particular aspect of Latin American history (art depicts a lot of everyday life and also topics of interest to those commissioning or creating the objects).
Reference Resources | Circulating Items | Terms to Search in Library Catalog | Print Indexes | Research Databases | Journals Owned by CSU | World Wide Web Resources
Print (and a few Electronic) Resources
Reference Resources--Encyclopedias & More
Encyclopedias can be a great place to start your research, get an overview of your topic, or help you narrow your area of focus. Morgan Library has a number of encyclopedia sets that may be useful to you as you begin your research. Encyclopedias are located in the Reference collection, so they may not be checked out. General encyclopedias can also be extremely useful.
- Countries and Their Cultures. 4 vols. GN 307 .C68 2001 Reference
- Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. 5 vols. F1406 .E53 1996 Reference
- Encyclopedia of Latin American Politics. F1410 .E56 2002 Reference
- Encyclopedia of Mexico: History, Society, & Culture. 2 vols. F1210 .E63 1992 Reference
- Encyclopedia of the World's Nations & Cultures. 4 vols. G63 .K874 2007 Reference
- Gale Virtual Reference Library. Online.
- Milenios de Mexico. 3 vols. F1204 .M955 1999 Reference
- A Reference Guide to Latin American History. F1410 .R395 2000 Reference
- South America, Central America and the Caribbean (Europa). F1408.29 .S68 Information (Ref) Desk
- Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures & Daily Life. 4 vols. GN 333 .W67 1998 Reference
- Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. Vol 3. Americas. G63 .W67 2004 v.3 Reference
Circulating Items: Morgan Stacks, Maps
- An Atlas and Survey of Latin American History. G1541.S1 L3 2007 Maps
- The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. F2521 .B768 1999 Morgan
- Cambridge History of Latin America. 10 vols. F1410 .C1834 1984 Morgan
Terms to Search in Library Catalog Sage & Regional Catalog Prospector
Subject headings are the most efficient search for identifying books in the library catalog. Identify useful books in the library catalog SAGE (and the Regional Catalog Prospector) doing a (LC) Subject search for:
| Argentina History Argentina History 1810- Argentina History 1817 1860 Argentina History 1943 1955 Argentina History 1955 1983 Argentina History 19th Century Argentina History 20th Century Argentina History War of Independence 1810 1817 Brazil Brazil -- History -- 1763-1822. Brazil -- History -- 1889- Brazil -- History -- 1889-1930. Brazil -- History -- Empire, 1822-1889-- Sources [Prospector] Brazil -- History -- Empire, 1822-1889. Brazil History Central America History Central America History 1821 1951 Central America History to 1821 Chile History Chile History 1810- Chile History 1824 1920 Chile History 1920 1970 Chile History 1973 1988 Chile History Coup Detat 1973 Chile History to 1810 Chile History War of Independence 1810 1824 Cuba Foreign Relations Soviet Union Cuba Foreign Relations Spain Cuba History Cuba History 1810 1899 Cuba History 1878 1895 Cuba History 1895 Cuba History 1933 1959 |
Cuba History 1959 Cuba History 1959 1990 Cuba History Revolution 1895 1898 Cuba History Revolution 1959 Cuba History Revolution 1959 Personal Narratives Latin America Latin America -- Civilization -- African influences. Latin America -- History Latin America -- History -- To 1830. Latin America History 1830 Latin America History 1898 1948 Latin America History 1948 Latin America History 1948 1980 Latin America History 1980 Latin America History 19th Century Latin America History 20th Century Latin America History 20th Century Sources Latin America History Bibliography Latin America History Chronology Latin America History Sources Latin America History Wars of Independence 1806 1830 Latin America History Wars Of Independence 1806 1830 Causes Latin America History Wars Of Independence 1806 1830 Sources Mexico – History Mexico History 1821 1861 Sources Mexico History European Intervention 1861 1867 Mexico History Revolution 1910 1920 Mexico History Spanish Colony 1540 1810 Mexico History Spanish Colony 1540 1810 Sources Mexico History to 1810 Sources Mexico History Wars of Independence 1810 1821 Mexico History Wars of Independence 1810 1821 Sources Revolutions Central America Revolutions Central America History 20th Century |
Terms and subjects will vary from source to source. In addition, terminology changes over time, so it will be necessary to be creative (i.e. know your history) in order to succeed in identifying articles of interest.
- Handbook of Latin American Studies. Z 1605 .H23 Reference
- Hispanic American Periodicals Index (HAPI). Z 1605 .H3 Reference South 1993-2003 and Movable Shelves 1979-1987, 1991-1992
- Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature. AI 3 .R48 Reference South 1900-
- Humanities Index. AI 3 .I495 Reference South 1974-1998
- International Index to Periodicals. AI 3 .I49 Reference South 1920/1923-1952/1955
- International Index. AI 3 .I49 Reference South 1955/1958-1964/1965
- International Political Science Abstracts. JA 36 .I5 Reference South 1951-2006
- London Times (various titles: Palmer's, etc.) AI 21 T51 & AI21 .T46 Reference South & others nearby 1785-
- Nineteenth Century Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, 1890-1899; with supplementary indexing, 1900-1922. AI3 .R496 Reference South
- Poole's Index to Periodical Literature. AI3 .P6 Reference South 1802-1901
- Social Sciences Index. AI 3 .I496 Reference South 1974/75-1998/99
Take note that the exact terms and types of terms will vary from index (database) to index. Case (capitalization) does not matter when doing searches. Use Truncation and proximity operators to do advanced searching. When the full text of an article is not available, use the 
button to find out if the article is available full text in another electronic location. Also check for printed versions. If not available at CSU, request the article from Interlibrary Loan.
- Fuente Académica.
- Academic Search Premier.
- America: History & Life.
- Historical Abstracts.
- International Political Science Abstracts. 2007- (earlier years in print)
- Social Science Abstracts.
- JSTOR. (keywords, not subjects--contemporary vocabulary is vital for success)
- Digital Dissertation Abstracts.
- ProjectMUSE.
- WorldCat. (Subject terms should match those listed under Library Catalog SAGE & Prospector.)
- New York Times 1851- . (contemporary vocabulary is vital for success)
- Web of Science. (Arts & Humanities Citation Index)
Free Online Access Databases
- Handbook of Latin American Studies.
- LAPTOC: Latin American Periodicals Table of Contents.
- Américas. F 1401 .A57 Movable Shelves assort 1949-2000 and online 1990-
- Journal of Latin American Studies. Online 1969-2002 in JSTOR; 1997- Cambridge
- E-Latina. Online 2002- .
- The Hispanic American Historical Review. F 1401 .H66 Movable Shelves various years 1918-2004. Online 1918- .
Additional titles (many in Spanish), search the library catalog Sage by subject: Latin America Periodicals; Latin America History Periodicals; Brazil History Periodicals; Chile History Periodicals; Argentina History Periodicals (one title); Central America History Periodicals (one title)
-->Click here for information about evaluating Web sites.
Bibliographies | General | Argentina | Brazil | Chile | Cuba | Mexico | Other Countries
Bibliographies on Latin America
Librarians in other libraries and historians at other universities have identified, and in some cases annotated, useful resources. CSU does not own all of the items. Check CSU's library catalog Sage and the regional catalog Prospector for local holdings. CSU affiliates may request items from Prospector.
Latin American Collection: General References. Yale University Library.
Annotated resources in the Yale collection. Extensive. Link goes to General Bibliographies page; the page has links to Biographical Information, Dictionaries and Encyclopedias, Research Guides, and Statistics. See also Selected Internet Sources.
HIST F342 Latin America: Evolution and Revolution. C. Truesdell. Walter E. Helmke Library. Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Library research guide for course offered at another university. Relevant sections include: Selected Reference Works for this Course; Examples of Primary Source Materials for this Course; and Finding Internet Sites for this Course. Selectively annotated.
HIST T335 Latin America and the World: From Colonization to Globalization. C. Truesdell. Walter E. Helmke Library. Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
Library research guide for a course offered at another university. Relevant sections include: Selected Reference Works for this Course (extensive); Primary Source Materials; and Digital Archives for this Course. Annotated.
Latin America Research Guide. University of Southern California Libraries.
PDF. Detailed annotations of resources on or about Latin America.
Latin America Subject Resource Guide. Elena E. Cevallos. University Libraries. Hofstra University.
This mostly annotated research guide has a large number of general sources listed on it, but there are many that are specific to Latin America. Extensive. Drop down menu at top allows researchers to go directly to desired section of the page. The section on Bibliographies: Guides to the Literature is particularly useful.
History 264: Revolution & Rebellion in Latin America. Susanna Boylston. Davidson College.
Page lists Reference Works, Primary Sources, and Secondary Sources. CSU does not own or have access to a number of the online or printed materials.
History 464: Religion & Social Change in Latin America. Susanna Boylston. Davidson College.
Page lists Reference Works, Primary Sources, and Secondary Sources.
Afro-Latin America. Gabriel Duque. University Libraries. University at Albany SUNY.
Extensive annotated bibliography. Arranged by Key Resources, Resources by Topic, and Resources by Country/Area.
Latin American & Caribbean Studies Information Sources: A Selective Bibliography. Joanne Spadaro. Jesús Alonso-Regalado. University Libraries. University at Albany SUNY.
Lengthy annotated bibliography. Arranged by: Scope; Key to Abbreviations; Subject Headings; Browsing Areas; Catalogs; Atlases & Maps; Bibliographies & Guides; Bibliographies of Bibliographies; Encyclopedias & Dictionaries; Biographical Sources; Indexes & Abstracts; Country Studies; Statistical Sources; Women; Selected Periodicals; Literature
Resources: Internet. Contemporary Latin America. Jordana Dym. Department of History. Skidmore College.
Extensive page of links (not all go to what is expected). Small font, so researchers may want to bump up the text size to read. Regions section (begins about half-way down) has country by country list with related links.
Latin America: Guerilla Warfare. Ron Fuller. Air University Library. Maxwell AFB, AL.
List of articles and books. Arranged by Latin America: Guerilla Warfare; History; and Human Rights. See also other related topics on Latin America.
Latin American Studies. Alberto H. Hernández. University of West Florida Libraries.
List of annotated resources arranged by type. The Primary Sources section is especially useful.
A Short Guide to Sources for Latin American Studies. Frank Conaway. University of Chicago Library.
Annotated resources arranged by type or subject. Of particular interest is the final section on ethnology.
Gender Studies of Latin America and the Caribbean. Molly Ryan and edited by Rafael Dávila-Franco. International and Gender Studies Resources Website. University of California, Berkeley.
Bibliographies of Andean countries (Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela); Brasil; The Caribbean; Central America; Latin America General; Mexico; and Paises del Rio de la Plata
-->Reminder for this section of bibliographies: CSU does not own all of the items listed on the Web pages or sites. Check CSU's library catalog Sage and the regional catalog Prospector for local holdings. CSU affiliates may request items from Prospector.
General--Web Pages on Latin America
19th Century Latin America. Internet Modern History Sourcebook. Fordham University.
Topics covered are Latin America in the 19th Century: Independence, Political Development, United States Imperialism, and Immigration;
Mexico; Argentina; Brazil; Chile; Colombia/Panama; Cuba; Nicaragua; Peru; and Venezuela. Subsection of Internet History Sources. Links to primary and secondary materials.
LANIC: Latin American Network Information Center. University of Texas at Austin.
Pretty much everybody links to this site. Arranged by subject area and country. Links to Web sites on or about Latin America.
Research Sites for Latin American History. Richard W. Slatta. North Carolina State University.
Links to materials on Latin America. Arranged by general links, course-related sites, reference works, independence era (one link), environmental/ecological issues, etc.
Latin America & Mexico. (Section of page.) Alan Liu and a development team. English Department. U. California, Santa Barbara. Voice of the Shuttle.
Links to pages on Latin America topics. Scroll down for individual country and topical links.
Public Domain Databases (section of Internet Resources for Latin America). New Mexico State University.
Annotated list of databases that were available for free online in 2006. Rest of page has a large number of other links of potential use.
Hispanic Reading Room. Library of Congress.
Page has links to sites of interest. Own site has Online Collections Presentations & Exhibitions that has material available online. Portals to the World has links to information country by country (not only Latin America). After choosing a country, select "History" for recommendations of resources on that particular country--some are brief and others are more extensive.
Independence in Latin America. Macrohistory and World Report. Frank E. Smitha.
Summary of events; Latin America's relationship with Spain. Information on juntas of 1810 and 1811 and key events to 1839. Images of some of those involved.
Latin America. casahistoria.net.
Top of the page serves as a table of contents. There are many briefly annotated links. Broad areas are: Catholic Missions; Independence from Spain; 3. Independence Leaders; 19th century: Society & economics; Immigration; British Involvement in Latin America; US involvement in Latin America; Military conflict: Triple Alliance War; (Guano) War; Pacific War; 20th century: Individual country developments; Revolutions; Liberation Theory; Military dictatorships after 1945; Military conflict: World War 1; Chaco War; Malvinas/Falklands War; Indigenous America: Brazil; Chile; Native American Women; Africans in Latin America; and General Latin American.
Slave Movement During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries. On-Line Data Archive. ©2008 Data and Information Services Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"This site provides access to the raw data and documentation which contains information on the following slave trade topics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: records of slave ship movement between Africa and the Americas, slave ships of eighteenth century France, slave trade to Rio de Janeiro, Virginia slave trade in the eighteenth century, English slave trade (House of Lords Survey), Angola slave trade in the eighteenth century, internal slave trade to Rio de Janeiro, slave trade to Havana, Cuba, Nantes slave trade in the eighteenth century, and slave trade to Jamaica."
Sources and General Resources in Latin America. Oberlin College.
Page has two frames. Multiple links (although unfortunately a large number of the attempted links do not work) to sites on the Web. History section divided by: Latin American History: Historiographic and General Resource Sites; Academic Journals; Pre-Conquest Period; General; Andes; Mexico and Central America; "Discovery" and Conquest; Colonial Latin America: General; The "Columbian Exchange"; The Early Colony; Brazil; The Slave Trade and Slavery; Daily Life in Colonial Latin America; Casta Painting; Bourbon Reforms; Late Colonial Revolts; and The Waging and Winning of Independence. Other sections have national periods by country, the church, human rights, and much more.
Independence in Latin America - A Chronology. Marcelo J. Borges. Dickinson College.
Chronology starting in 1778-9 through 1828.
Latin American History: Colonial & Independence (to 1825). Program in Social Studies and Global Education. The Ohio State University.
Reviewed links to resources found on the Web on various aspects of Latin American history. In addition, there are reviews of print and media sources.
Argentina
Argentina. CIA World Factbook. (.ar)
Information about Argentina's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
About Argentina: History of the Formation of the Argentine State. Argentina.
Overview of Argentina's history.
Timeline Argentina. Algis Ratnikas.
Prehistory to the present.
About Argentina: Patriotic Dates. Argentina.
Gives date of interest with brief description of significance. Links to additional information (not all work) that is in Spanish.
A Brief History of Buenos Aires. Pablo M. Dotro. Buenos Aires: A Subjective Image of a Modern City.
Covers independence years of Argentina. Page is white text on black.
Crises in Argentina: 1823–2002. The Same Old Story? Ana María Cerro and Osvaldo Meloni. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Argentina.
PDF. 28 page document with extensive analysis. 17 tables elucidate the contents and there is a lengthy reference list.
Sources of Argentine Policy towards Cuba. Kezia McKeague. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.
PDF. Article with footnotes and bibliography about Argentina's relations with Cuba over the years.
The Great Unraveling: Argentina 1973-1991. Author guess: Klaus (??).
PDF. Apparent research article about the economy of Argentina with extensive footnotes. Some charts.
History of Buenos Aires and Argentina in general.
Argentinean History. Fronteras.
Timeline (selective) of the history of Argentina. Pre-Columbian to 2005. On a commercial site.
Reseña Histórica Museo. Museo Histórico Comunal y de la Colonización Judía "Rabino Aarón Goldman."
Images of rooms in the museum (click on "sala" 1, 2, etc.). Museum focus is on Jewish agricultural colonization of Argentina. Most of the descriptions and information are in Spanish.
Museo Nacional de la Inmigracion. Av. Antártida Argentina
National Musuem of Immigration. Extensive site. Images. + información links open windows with more detail on the particular topic. In Spanish.
Museo de las Patentes Argentinas. Argentina License Plates Museum.
Museum site. Images of license plates from Argentina over the years. A different way to look at the history of a country and its regions. Searchable by region. Text is in Spanish.
Link to map of clandestine detention centers, human rights archive, letters, 4 photos and their histories, posters, and more. Members of Memoria Abierta were mothers, relatives, friends of disappeared, former political prisoners, and former exiled. Selected parts of the site are only in Spanish.
Brazil
Brazil. CIA World Factbook. (.br)
Information about Brazil's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
A Country Study: Brazil. Country studies. Library of Congress.
Overview of the country. Profile, historical setting, society and its environment, economy, government and politics, national security, science and technology, lengthy bibliography, and more. Chapters have named authors.
Timeline: Brazil. Algis Ratnikas.
Prehistory to the present.
The Predicament of Brazil's Pluralism. Alcida Rita Ramos. 2001. Paper prepared for the Conference Beyond the Boundaries of the Old Geographies: Natives, Citizens, Exiles, and Cosmopolitans. A Five-College Conference, October 25-27, 2001, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA.
PDF. Discusses, among other things, aspects of Brazil's impetus for independence.
The History of Money in Brazil. Ministry of Finance. Banco Central do Brasil.
Very brief history of money from colony to republic--not all links work.
Virtual Gallery. National Historical Museum. Brazil.
The virtual gallery (English language version) has cartoons, paintings, personal objects, communication equipment, photos of Rio de Janeiro by Juan Gutierrez, interiors, and clocks & watches. Galeria Virtual has items with Spanish text (and many more items than shown in the English language virual gallery, so worth a look). The museum itself was started in 1922 and has over 287,000 items.
Bem-Vindo Ao Brasil. Sergio Koreisha. University of Oregon
Take a virtual trip to Brazil. There are sections with Brazil in a nutshell, facts, culture, environment, history, and much more. Extensive. Much of the material is in English, but there are links to items in Portuguese only. Some of the links don't work.
Brazil: History. Global Edge. International Business Center at Michigan State University.
Summary of information about Brazil, with useful information on cultural groups, language, and forms of government.
Why Was Brazil Different? The Contexts of Independence. Kenneth Maxwell. John Parry Memorial Lecture. April 25, 2000. Harvard University.
Abstract of the lecture. The complete lecture is available via a PDF (84.89 KB) linked to on the page. It is 24 pages with footnotes and bibliographic references.
Chile
Chile. CIA World Factbook. (.cl)
Information about Chile's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
A Country Study: Chile. Country studies. Library of Congress.
Overview of the country. Profile, historical setting, society and its environment, economy, government and politics, national security, lengthy bibliography, and more. Chapters have named authors.
Timeline Chile. Algis Ratnikas.
Prehistory to the present.
Outstanding actions in our Naval History. Chilean Navy.
Brief summaries of exploits of the Chilean navy begining with its independence. A few images of ships at sea.
Archives. Derechos. Chile. The Chile Information Project.
Links to RTF formatted documents related to human rights topics, a goverment report on human rights (Spanish only), lists of human rights organizations, and a bibliography.
Chile History Highlights. Consulate General of Chile in New York.
Overview of main events 1536-2000.
Cuba
Cuba. CIA World Factbook. (.cu)
Information about Cuba's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
About Cuba-History. 4th Cuban Congress.
Overview of Cuba's history starting in 1492.
Brief History of Cuba. Administración del Sitio del Gobierno de la Republica de Cuba.
More than brief, because it covers Cuba's history since 1492 in more detail than other Web pages. Scroll down about 1/6 to reach the 1800s.
Timeline: Cuba. Algis Ratnikas
1492 to the present.
The Empire and the Independent Island. Fidel Castro. Countercurrents.org. August 14, 2007.
Overview of 140 years of Cuba's history. A lot of detail.
Historia de Cuba. Instituto de Historia de Cuba.
Overview of history divided by Colonial Period 149-1898, 1898-1902, Newo-colonial Period 1902-1958, and Revolutionary Period 1959-1998. There are few photographs.
Mexico
Mexico. CIA World Factbook.
Information about Mexico's geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
A Country Study: Mexico. Country studies. Library of Congress.
Overview of the country. Profile, historical setting, society and its environment, economy, government and politics, national security, lengthy bibliography, and more. Chapters have named authors. Click on PDF version for updated profile information.
Kids at Mexico´s Independence War. Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia.
Overview giving information about children's participation in the war--names and ages are given.
History. Embassy of Mexico in Thailand.
Starts in pre-Columbian times, but scroll down to see overview of Mexico's history from the 1800's to the present. There is a map that moves from 1824 to 1974 showing the changes in boundaries of states, territories and other countries.
Timeline Mexico to 1969. 1970-1997. 1998-2002. 2003-2008. Algis Ratnikas.
Prehistory to the present; on four separate Web pages.
The History of Mexican Coins. Banco de Mexico
Starts with pre-hispanic exchange objects. Scroll down (or internal link to section such as coins during the independence movement) to find images coins and their histories from the 19th century to the present. Images are clear and very well presented.
The History of Mexican Banknotes. Banco de Mexico.
Paper money was first used in the 19th century, so the entire page is of interest to modern Latin American history. Very clear images showing examples of the banknotes ("bills" as a North American would call them), up to and including the present.
An Outline History of the Paraguayan Army from the Colonial Period to Today. Carolos Mey. Argentina. Historia y Arqueologia Maritima.
Lengthy overview of the Parguayan army's history. Includes divisions of military zones, an orders of battles, army divisions (Parguauyan and Bolivian), formations, etc.
How to Do Library Research | History
Content: Naomi Lederer