Research Guides: Latin American Studies Databases: Primary Sources

Interlibrary Loan

Login to Interlibrary Loan
Login to Interlibrary Loan to request items (primary sources, books, articles) that we do not have in our collection and we will get them for you from other libraries. Books will be sent to you in print format. Articles and other electronic resources will be delivered to you electronically.

Newspaper Databases and Archives

African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.

Arizona Digital Newspaper Program
Digital images from over 50 Arizona historical newspapers
California Digital Newspaper Collection
A Freely Accessible Repository of Digitized California Newspapers from 1846 to the Present

Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876 This link opens in a new window
140 newspaper titles from 22 islands from the 18th and 19th centuries. Research Colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, New World slavery, and more. Most of these newspapers were published in English, but some non-English titles are also included.

Caribbean Newspaper Digital Library
Digitized versions of Caribbean newspapers, gazettes, and other research materials on newsprint currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections.
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The Caribbean Newspaper Digital Library (CNDL) is supported by the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), a cooperative digital library for newspapers resources from the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean.
Chronicling America: Historic Newspapers 1789-1963
Chronicling America is a Website providing access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages, and is produced by the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP). Supported by the NEH and the Library of Congress.
El Informador - Hemeroteca Digital
Full-text archive of El Informador (1917-2006). Allows browsing by issue or advanced search
El Siglo de Torreón
Newspaper from Torreon, Mexico digitized from 1922 to 2000.

Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during 19th and 20th centuries. Many of these newspapers were published bilingually in Spanish and English.

Historic Mexican and Mexican-American Press
Publications published in Tucson, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonora, Mexico from the mid-1800s to the 1970s
ICON: International Coalition on Newspapers
Find digital newspaper collections for each country

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
An open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers and magazines produced by feminists, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, and the extreme right-wing press.
Latin American Newspapers (Series I), 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to more than 30 Latin American newspapers published 1805-1922.
Latin American Newspapers (Series II), 1822-1922 This link opens in a new window
Series II of Latin American Newspapers expands the number of titles available from this region, including from some countries and cities not represented in Series I.
Latin American Newsstream This link opens in a new window
Latin American Newsstream includes titles from Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Key newspaper titles include: El Universal (Mexico City);O Globo (Brazil);La Nación (Argentina);and El Mercurio (Chile). Newspapers are in Spanish and Portuguese.

La Opinión (1920-2008)
Digital archive of the historic Los Angeles Spanish language newspaper

Nexis Uni (formerly LexisNexis Academic) This link opens in a new window
Source for legal research, business, news, etc. Search across global news sources, access federal and state legal cases, find company information, and more
National Geographic Magazine (1888-1994) This link opens in a new window
Provides in-depth coverage of cultures, nature, science, technology and more with comprehensive, relevant articles and legendary photographs and maps.
New York Times Historical Archives (1851-2020) This link opens in a new window
Major global newspaper including news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, as well as photos and advertisements.
New York Times (1980 - Present) This link opens in a new window
Major resource for national and international news and current events, provided by Nexis Uni. In the guided search, choose "A Publication", then your search term(s), then choose "New York Times" in the "Find Publication" box.
NewsBank This link opens in a new window
Full-text newspaper articles covering international, national, and local news. Includes the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Charlotte Observer, and many others.

Texas Digital Newspaper Program
Digitized Texas newspapers from 1829-present

Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Historical newspaper archive with full-text coverage of the Times from 1785 to 2013. Supports research across multiple disciplines including business, humanities, political science, and philosophy with coverage of all major international historical events.
World News Connection Archive, 1995-2013 This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive database collection of World News Connection's daily updates produced from 1995 to 2013, featuring 500 translated news sources from over 130 countries. The database includes full-text access to newspaper articles, transcripts and datelines that cover environmental issues, political reports, socioeconomic editorials and more.

Primary Source Collections

Avalon Project
Documents in law, history and diplomacy. Free or open source.
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Documents from pre-18th through the 20th century relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.
Bracero History Archive
Oral histories and artifacts pertaining to the Bracero program, a guest worker initiative that spanned the years 1942-1964

Colección Revolución 1910-1921 This link opens in a new window
Collection of historical documents on the Mexican Revolution.
Colonial America (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Covering the period 1606 to the 1770s, the collection covers the early history of the colonies, records of piracy and seaborne rivalry with the French and Spanish, military material from the French and Indian War of 1756-63, and the social and political protest that led to the Declaration of Independence. It is also particularly rich in material relating to military affairs and American Indians.
Confidential Print: Latin America (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
Collection consists of the Confidential Print for Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean. Topics covered include slavery and the slave trade, immigration, relations with indigenous peoples, and wars and territorial disputes. Topics range from c. 1833-1969.
ProQuest Congressional Hearings This link opens in a new window
Access congressional publications dealing with the wide variety of topics addressed by Congress.

Cuban Revolution Research Guide to Digital Collections
Curated by Yale University Library

Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text and full-page-image access to books, pamphlets and broadsides printed in America from 1639-1800.

FOIA Documents Collection
U.S. Department of State declassified (FOIA) documents for Argentina, Chile, El Salvador and Guatemala

Foreign Relations between Latin America and the Caribbean States, 1930 - 1944 This link opens in a new window
Organized by country, this collection contains primary source documents relevant to the study of Latin American and Caribbean international relations.
Foreign Relations Between the U.S. and Latin America and the Caribbean States 1930-1944 This link opens in a new window
Collection of primary source documents relevant to the study of U.S. relations with Latin America and the Caribbean during the 1930's.

Foreign Relations of the United States
Access to cumulative indexes for 1861-1899 and 1900-1918
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From University of Wisconsin Digital Collections
Foreign Relations of the United States
1914-1980. Official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication.

Global Commodities (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
This resource explores the history and background of key commodities that have been a part of the world's trading operations for hundreds of years. Through manuscripts, printed and visual primary source materials, and data visualizations, you will find valuable knowledge on how these key commodities have influenced our lives, trading operations, and social practices.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Legal history and government documents. Contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and entire databases of treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, international trade, foreign relations, and more.

Hemeroteca Nacional Digital de Mexico
The Digital National Library of Mexico (HNDM) is a virtual repository of historical periodicals from Mexico.
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Includes printed newspapers and magazines in Mexico between 1722 and 2010. Digital access limited to those publications in the public domain.

Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
An open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers and magazines produced by feminists, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, and the extreme right-wing press.

LANIC: Latin American Network Information Center
Search by region, diaspora and country
Latin American and Caribbean Digital Primary Sources
This site provides links to open access digitized collections of primary sources that relate to Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Click on Full View to explore database. The site is organized by format “Historical Texts by Country“, “Historical Texts General“, “Statistics“, “Visual Material by Country“, “Visual Material General“, and “Miscellaneous.”
Latin American Pamphlet Digital Collection
Harvard's Widener Library is the repository of many scarce and unique Latin American pamphlets published during the 19th and the early 20th centuries.
Latin American Travelogues
Annotated bibliography
National Security Archive Declassified
documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Colonial to 1950 - includes the experiences of 632 women as revealed in diaries and letters.

Portal to Texas History
Contains full-text searchable images of Texas newspapers, photos, maps, and other historical materials

Revolution in Mexico, the 1917 Constitution, and Its Aftermath This link opens in a new window
This collection of U.S. State Department records consists of political and military documents relating to the Mexican Revolution and its aftermath 1910 - 1924.

Slave Societies Digital Archive
The Slave Societies Digital Archive (formerly Ecclesiastical and Secular Sources for Slave Societies), preserves endangered ecclesiastical and secular documents related to Africans and African-descended peoples in slave societies.
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Directed by Jane Landers and hosted at Vanderbilt University, this Digital Archive currently holds 500,000 unique images, dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries, and documents the history of between 6 and 8 million individuals. They are the most extensive serial records for the history of Africans in the Atlantic World and also include valuable information on the indigenous, European, and Asian populations who lived alongside them.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1962.

Biblioteca Digital Hispánica
Digital collections from the National Library of Spain includes 100s of early books on Latin America as well as other material; in Spanish
Cultural Magazines of Latin America (1880-1930)
Digitized cultural magazines from Argentina, Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru and Puerto Rico dating back to the period between 1880 and 1930
Human Rights in Latin America (CIA) (1964-1995)
This information deals with human rights in Latin America, with some documents dating from 1964 to 1995.
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Most of the documents concern El Salvador and Guatemala, but the collection also contains records on Brazil, Nicaragua, Honduras, Chile, and Peru.
Latin American Political Campaign Ephemera Collection (1990-2009)
Pamphlets, posters, and other campaign literature issued primarily by political parties in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Chile, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and El Salvador.
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Digital collection of UC San Diego Library
Latin American Posters Collection
The posters included in this collection were created by a wide variety of social activists, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, political parties, and other types of organizations across Latin America, in order to publicize their views, positions, agendas, policies, events, and services.
UNM Spanish Colonial Research Center
Selection of colonial documents and maps from Spanish and Mexican archives that document Spanish Colonial history in North America
Voyages: the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
Contains over 35,000 records from 1514-1866.
World Digital Library
Significant primary materials from all countries and cultures

U.S. Government Documents

Congress.gov (formerly Thomas)
Public laws and bills, Congressional Record, Reports, Roll Call. Free or open source.
govinfo (formerly FDsys)
Provides public access to Government information submitted by Congress and Federal agencies and preserved as technology changes.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Legal history and government documents. Contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and entire databases of treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, international trade, foreign relations, and more.
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Provides access to Congressional information, including bills, laws, regulations, reports, documents, prints, the Code of Federal Regulations, the Federal Register, and the Congressional Record. Also includes information about members of Congress such as biographical data, voting records, campaign financial data and committees. Also includes legislative histories, bills and laws as well as regulations.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1962.

Research Guides for Primary Sources

University of Washington Libraries
Emory University Libraries
Bowling Green State University Libraries
LANIC: Latin American Network Information Center
Institute of Social History in Amsterdam
Holds one of the most complete collections of documents of the left in the world.

LC Subject Headings

You can find edited primary source collections in book format. Below are some examples. Add terms such as narratives, sources, documents, correspondence.

Latin American Independence: An Anthology of Sources
ISBN: 9780872208636
Maps and illustrations are included, as are a chronology of the Wars for Independence, suggestions for further reading, and a thorough index.

DPLA

DPLA
A portal to digitized content made available by libraries, archives and museums

HathiTrust

A repository for digital collections. Items in the public domain (works published before 1923) are freely accessible online.

Internet Archive

A digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Includes digitized books, periodicals, media, and more.

Internet Archive

Local Libraries/Archives

You may be able to visit a local library that has a strong collection of print or digital materials relating to Latin American History. Interlibrary Loan may be able to borrow microform of newspapers or other documents that you can view on-site using our microform readers (2nd floor).

Duke Libraries Latin American and Caribbean Collections
The Duke Libraries have more than 400,000 journals, volumes, newspapers, photographs and other resources on Latin America and the Caribbean.
UNC Chapel Hill Libraries: Latin American and Iberian Collections
Strengths include the belles-lettres of Spain and Latin America, and Latin American history particularly for Argentina, Chile, Venezuela and Cuba. In recent years the Library has expanded its collections on Mexico in all disciplines, particularly in migration and indigenous studies, with an emphasis on the Yucatan Peninsula.
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In addition to acquiring materials in Spanish and Portuguese, collections include volumes in several of the Maya languages, Guaraní, Basque, Galician, Catalán and Haitian Creole, among others.

Guides to Primary Sources

Latin American and Caribbean Digital Primary Sources
This site provides links to open access digitized collections of primary sources that relate to Latin America and the Caribbean.
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Click on Full View to explore database. The site is organized by format “Historical Texts by Country“, “Historical Texts General“, “Statistics“, “Visual Material by Country“, “Visual Material General“, and “Miscellaneous.”
Historical Worldwide Newspapers Online: Latin America
Links to digitized historical newspapers online for Latin America. Compiled by BGSU University Libraries.