Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, considered Mexico's most influential graphic artist, helped popularize the calavera as a satirical graphic motif, often printed with rhyming ballads or corridos. After Posada's death in 1913, the calaveras became closely associated with the "Día de los Muertos," a holiday in November to honor and remember deceased loved ones. The Library of Congress has one of the largest collections of his work in the U.S. and is a major resource for understanding Mexican culture.
Born in 19th-century Cuban dance halls, danzón eventually became the country’s official national dance. Influenced by African and European music and dance traditions, it continues to thrive outside the big island’s borders, in Mexico and beyond, in orchestra halls and dance salons, leaving an indelible mark on Latin American culture. It’s a genre all its own and a lovely bit of romance to remember during Hispanic Heritage Month here in the U.S. The Library has plenty of music, films and books to help you explore its rich history.
This is a guest post by Giselle Aviles, a reference librarian in the Hispanic Reading Room of the Latin American, Caribbean and European Division. The Hispanic Reading Room has a new research guide, Interconnecting Worlds: Weaving Community Narratives, Andean Histories & the Library’s Collections. This guide, with resources in English, Spanish and Quechua, facilitates research …
Cinco de Mayo celebrations marks the Mexican victory over French invaders in 1862 at the Battle of Puebla. The victory did not stop the French from establishing a short-lived client state in Mexico, but it did become of rallying cry of Mexico's determination to be free of European powers.
Taylor Healey-Brooks, the Librarian-in-Residence in the Latin American, Caribbean and European Division, was the lead author on a remarkable new Library resource guide about the connections between Haiti and the United States. She talks about the project here.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month 2021, the Library of Congress launches Season 2 of La Biblioteca podcast, a six-part series titled Exploring Latinx Civil Rights in the United States, which zeros in on seminal civil rights cases and events.
For 30 years now, the Library's Junior Fellows program has provided undergraduate and graduate students with experiences in everything the world’s largest library has to offer. This year's class of 42 interns shows off their research projects.
No discussion around Black History Month would be complete without exploring the significant contributions of Afro-Latinos to American culture and society. Roughly 25 percent of Hispanics in the United States identify as having Black heritage and the Library showcases many of their contributions.
