Chocolate or xocolatl originated in present day Mexico and was introduced to the Spanish in the 16th century. Try this recipe for making a chocolate drink from cocao pods as you reflect on the origins of chocolate and its spread across the Americas, Europe, West Africa and elsewhere.
In celebration of National Native American Heritage Month, this bibliographic essay on Mesoamerican ethnology by Duncan Earle for the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) explores contemporary Indigenous life and cultures of the Americas.
The 11th Librarian of Congress L. Quincy Mumford was instrumental in the early development of the international collections at the Library of Congress.
This is a guest blog interview was submitted to the Hispanic Division by patrons Anna Deeny Morales and Nelcy Denice Ávila. It offers context on The Gabriela Mistral Youth Poetry Competition as a legacy to this Chilean poet, who was the first Latin American writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.
A celebration of the life of Rudolfo Anaya (1937-2020), author of the 1972 book, “Bless Me, Ultima” and many other stories that honored New Mexico and Chicano Culture. The voice of this National Humanities Medal recipient resonates far beyond New Mexico and may also be found in the PALABRA Archive at the Library of Congress.
Hispanic Division Junior Fellows explore the PALABRA Archive of recorded writers to learn more about Bolivian and Maya writers and poets and the value of diverse cultures and languages within the Library of Congress.
The Hispanic Division hosts Junior Fellows Summer Interns who are creating data visualizations of the collections and the indigenous reaction to the Spanish conquest, and expanding access to Latin American, Spanish, Portuguese, and Latinx writers.
A paper conservator at the Library of Congress virtually examines the “Codex Quetzalecatzin,” a manuscript created by indigenous artists ca. 1593 that shows the Mexican regions of Puebla and Oaxaca. The Codex is housed in the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress.