Hispanic Americans
For Students

[Detail] The Teaching of the Indians

Online activities and background information from the Library of Congress to help students learn more about Hispanic Americans.

• American Treasures: A Portuguese World View (Exhibition) This manuscript atlas provides a comprehensive portrait of the Portuguese empire at the beginning of the seventeenth century.
• American Treasures: Capturing the Spanish-American War (Exhibition) View five sketches by American artist William Glackens. He was sent to Cuba in 1898 by McClure's Magazine to cover the Spanish-American War.
• American Treasures: Caribbean Map (Exhibition) The large island of Hispaniola, today shared by the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, became the first site for permanent European settlement in America.
• American Treasures: Columbus Reports on Discoveries of Island of India (Exhibition) Read Columbus' report concerning his discoveries of "Islands of India beyond the Ganges."
• American Treasures: Columbus's Book of Privileges (Exhibition) Learn about the documents through which Isabel and Fernando granted titles, revenues, powers, and privileges to Columbus and his descendants.
• American Treasures: Field Recordings in Spain (Exhibition) Learn about Alan Lomax's pioneering Spanish field recordings, made in 1952 during the Franco regime.
• American Treasures: History of New Spain (Exhibition) In the 1570s Fray Diego Durán, a Spanish Dominican priest, recorded the history of the Aztec society. His manuscript was not published until the nineteenth century.
• American Treasures: Huexotzinco Codex, 1531 (Exhibition) Learn the history of this 1531 document, part of the testimony in a legal case against representatives of the colonial government in Mexico, ten years after the 1521 Spanish conquest.
• American Treasures: Mapping the New Discoveries (Exhibition) Read about the large map compiled by Diego Gutiérrez which provided 16th century Spanish travel information about the Americas.
• American Treasures: Portinari Murals at the Library of Congress (Exhibition) In 1941, Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari completed four murals on the walls of the Hispanic Reading Room at the Library of Congress.
• Ballet Folklorico Mexicapan (Local Legacies) This Arizona youth dance group formed in 1981 is dedicated to preserving the dances of Mexican folklore.
• The Buccaneers of America Interactive (Presentation) Explore the pages of The Buccaneers of America, chronicling the bold feats of raiders who disrupted shipping on the high seas and terrorized Caribbean settlements.
• Conquest of Mexico Paintings Interactive (Presentation) Explore the paintings that tell the story of the 1521 conquest of the Aztecs by Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés.
• Dia de los Muertos Celebration (Local Legacies) Read how residents in the Fruitvale district of Oakland, California celebrate the Hispanic holiday - the Day of the Dead.
• A Different Drum (Presentation) The Spanish-speaking immigrants of the Caribbean brought creative new music - and new percussion instruments - to the United States. Play this game and name these instruments.
• Explore the States: California (Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara) (America's Library) Every year in August, the city of Santa Barbara celebrates its Mexican roots with the Old Spanish Days Fiesta.
• Explore the States: Colorado (Cinco de Mayo) (America's Library) Learn more about Cinco de Mayo - Spanish for the 5th of May. This festival with storytelling, parades, food, and dancing is celebrated by people of Hispanic and Mexican descent.
• Explore the States: Florida (Calle Ocho-Miami Carnival) (America's Library) In Miami, Florida, there is a large Cuban American population, and every year they have a Calle Ocho festival. This is one of the largest celebrations of Latino culture in the United States.
• Explore the States: New Mexico (The Spanish Market) (America's Library) In 1926, the Spanish Colonial Arts Society started this Santa Fe Market for Hispanic artists to show and sell their traditional handmade objects.
• Heritage of Hispanics (Wise Guide) September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. This article highlights Hispanic cultural resources available through the Local Legacies project.
• Jump Back in Time: October 18, 1898 (America's Library) On this date American troops fighting the Spanish-American War raised the United States flag in Puerto Rico, and the U.S. officially took control of the former Spanish colony.
• Jump Back in Time: October 30, 1815 (America's Library) On this date Jose Manuel Gallegos was born in Spanish colonial Mexico. He later became the second Hispanic U.S representative in history.
• Jump Back in Time: September 8, 1565 (America's Library) On this date a Spanish expedition established St. Augustine in Florida.
• Reading Pre-Columbian Artifacts Interactive (Presentation) Investigate the Maya writing system by exploring the writing and hieroglyphs on vessels and artifacts.
• Recording History Interactive (Presentation) Explore the nature of recorded history among the Maya and select examples from other areas of the world.
• Rudolfo Anaya: Fiction, Plays and Children's Fiction (Local Legacies) Famed for portraying the flavor of New Mexico through prose and storytelling, Rudolfo Anaya has been hailed as the father of Chicano literature in English.
• Spanish's Gift to English (Presentation) Many American English words have Spanish origins. In this game, find the words that come from Spanish?
• Today in History (February 2) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (Today in History) The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed in Mexico City on February 2, 1848, ending the Mexican War and extending the boundaries of the United States west to the Pacific Ocean.
• Today in History (July 17) The Spanish Civil War (Today in History) The Spanish Civil War began on July 17, 1936 as a series of military insurrections throughout the country.
• Today in History (October 12) Columbus Day (Today in History) A sailor on board the Pinta sighted land early in the morning of October 12, 1492, and a new era of European exploration and expansion began.
• Today in History (October 18) Puerto Rico (Today in History) On October 18, 1898, American troops fighting the Spanish-American War raised the United States flag in Puerto Rico formalizing U.S. control of the former Spanish colony.
• Today in History (October 30) Don Jose Manuel Gallegos (Today in History) Gallegos, born on this date in 1815, later became New Mexico's first delegate to Congress.
• Today in History (September 27) The Quest of Ponce de Leon (Today in History) On September 27, 1514, the Spanish crown granted explorer Juan Ponce de Leon the title Military Governor of Bimini and Florida. Ponce de Leon sailed for Florida in 1521.
• Tortuguero Box Interactive (Presentation) A full-length portrait of a Maya lord and forty-four hieroglyphic signs are carved on all sides of this small offering box.

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