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Category: Hispanic Reading Room

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Under Six Flags: The Curious Career of the CSS Stonewall

Posted by: Taru Spiegel

(The following is a post by Juan Manuel Pérez, Reference Specialist, Hispanic Division) During the American Civil War (1861-65), as the Union Navy of the North was putting a chokehold on the Southern Confederacy by its naval blockade, the Confederate government of the South sought to break it by trying to purchase or build warships in …

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An Evening of Collective Art-making with Chicano Artist Mario Torero

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a post by Catalina Gómez, Reference Librarian, Hispanic Division.) On Friday, May 3, 2019, together with the Prints & Photographs Division, we had the pleasure of hosting, here in the Hispanic Reading Room, a stimulating collective art session with Mario Torero, one of California’s most important muralists and activists from the Chicano …

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Tequila, Tarahumara, and Turkeys: Recent Research Topics in the Handbook of Latin American Studies

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

 (The following is a post by Tracy North, Reference Librarian and Social Sciences Editor, Handbook of Latin American Studies, Hispanic Division.) In the blog post to announce the publication of Volume 71 of the “Handbook of Latin American Studies” (HLAS), we drew attention to a study of pisco, the popular South American brandy. In Volume …

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Dunkirk: A 19th-Century Prequel

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a post by Juan Manuel Pérez, Reference Specialist, Hispanic Division. Patricia Penon, Technician, Hispanic Division, also contributed to this post.) As the enemy overran the European continent at lightning speed, the British government organized an expeditionary force to stop them. However, in the face of a rapidly advancing enemy, British forces retreated …

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Antonio Machín: The Spanish Nat King Cole

Posted by: Taru Spiegel

(The following is a post by Juan Manuel Pérez, reference specialist, with intern Elliot Hung, Hispanic Division.) The great Cuban singer Antonio Machín, often referred to as the Spanish Nat King Cole, brought international recognition to the bolero, romantic ballads, and popular Afro-Cuban music. He was born in Sagua la Grande (Cuba) on January 17, 1903,[1] …

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Searching for My Family

Posted by: Anchi Hoh

(The following is a guest post by poet Rachelle Linda Escamilla, July 11, 2018, Library of Congress, Hispanic Division.) My grandfather, Alejo Hernandez, told me about his multiple crossings into the United States over a bowl of menudo and corn tortillas; the first time he crossed was through the Bracero Program, but in later crossings he …