Latin American History Commons^™

Carnival, Ritual, And Race-Thinking In The Bolivian Andes, Ximena Cordova, Adhemar Mercado

All Works

This paper explores the intersection of race, religion, and colonial legacies through the lens of the Oruro Carnival, examining its role in shaping Bolivian identity. Critical religion scholars argue that the entanglement of race and religion is a product of Western modernity and colonialism, which has influenced both historical and contemporary power relations. This framework is applied to analyse the Carnival, where religious practices and festive performances intersect, reflecting colonial efforts at religious conversion and racial categorisation. By focusing on the ethnography of Oruro’s embodied festive practices, this study investigates how the Carnival contributes to the construction of difference amid …

Book Review, Augusto S. Auler

International Journal of Speleology

No abstract provided.

Making Sense Of Anarchism: Science, Nature, And The Local In The Utopias Of Ricardo Mella And Pierre Quiroule, Philip J. Wu

Swarthmore Undergraduate History Journal

This article uses a detailed analysis of ideas about nature and science in the utopian works of Spanish anarchist Ricardo Mella and Argentine anarchist Pierre Quiroule, separated by roughly twenty-five years and over five thousand miles, to explore what is often called the “localization” of anarchist ideology. Rather than search for differences in their ideas that stem from some sort of quintessential Argentine or Spanish—or on a more granular level porteño or barcelonés—identity, I examine how these two authors took ideas from a shared anarchist imaginary and connected them to local events to make them relevant to themselves and …

Towards The Non-Spectacle: Responses To Necropolitics In The Artwork Of Teresa Margolles And Maya Watanabe, Leslie Anne Condon

Masters Theses

How do we engage with artwork that addresses complicated histories

of colonialism and political violence, specifically intangible and

incomprehensible violence? Mexican artist Teresa Margolles’ 2005 work, Lote

Bravo, is named after and composed of the soil from a mass grave site

discovered in 1995 in the southeastern corner of Ciudad Juárez, a city known

internationally for the femicide that has continued to haunt its streets and

peripheries since the 1990s. Peruvian filmmaker Maya Watanabe’s 2019 film

Liminal cinematically documents the official exhumation of two mass graves

in the Ayacucho and Huánuco regions of the Andes highlands, where

thousands of …

A Franciscan Friar’S Defiant Journey: The Extent Of Individual Power In Colonial Mexico, 1782, Genesis Pena-Lozada

Lewis Honors College Thesis Collection

During Spanish occupation of Mexico from 1521 to 1821, religion was used as an extension of the Spanish crown as Mexico’s native populations were forcibly converted to Catholicism. Religious orders, including Franciscan friars, a group of men who wandered and preached to help the poor and sick, were used in the systematic conversion of native populations. Because of the sheer scale of religious conversion of these native populations, the Spanish crown’s efforts in New Spain are sometimes described as a “spiritual conquest” rather than a military conquest. However, like military conquest, this evangelization was still enacted through power and domination. …

Truth, Reconciliation, And Neoliberalism: Remembering And Forgetting Pinochet’S Chile, Aimee Leigh Gallagher

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay………………..................4

III. Primary Documents and Headnotes.....26

IV. Textbook Critique……………….............36

V. Textbook Entry…………………………....42

The Third Revolution: How The Haitian Revolution Redefined The Age Of Revolution, Cedric Rule-Becker

History - Master of Arts in Teaching

I. Synthesis Essay.................................2

II. Primary Source Documents............15

III. Textbook Critique...........................25

IV. New Textbook Entry.......................28

Into Eternity: Legacy Of The Saint Patrick's Battalion, Preston S. Dyess

2025 Symposium

“The Saint Patrick’s Battalion” was a rogue unit of Irish-Catholic soldiers who deserted from the U.S. Army shortly before or during the Mexican-American War. Disillusioned by their mistreatment in the American army, they found common ground with the Mexican people over their shared faith and national story. John Riley, the battalion’s eventual leader, deserted shortly before the war broke out and was captured by Mexican forces. After some convincing, he was given a commission by Mexican General Pedro de Ampudia and instructed to raise a company of fellow deserters. The unit served courageously, garnering praise and honor in the eyes …

Promesas Incumplidas: The Reconfiguration Of Gendered Expectations And Relationships During The Bracero Program (1942-1964), Adriana Justo Ortiz

Undergraduate Research Awards

The Bracero Program led to the breakdown of domestic roles, disruptions of female and Braceros’ partnerships with women, and the creation of new friendships among the male Braceros themselves. After the Braceros left for their work contracts in the United States, Mexican women took on additional responsibilities that were customarily done by their husband. In contrast, the Braceros had to undertake domestic chores in their temporary labor camps that their wives would have generally done in Mexico. Because Anglo- American employers and entrepreneurs, specifically those from Tulare, California, as demonstrated by the work of historian Ana Elizabeth Rosas, had certain …

Processing Warfare And Navigating Defeat: The Mexican Narrative Constructed During The Mexican American War Of 1846-1848, Hailee Brandt

Undergraduate Research Awards

It is undeniable that the citizens of Mexico and the United States of America processed the Mexican American War as it occurred in exceedingly different ways, and wished to remember it differently. This thesis will delve deeper into the Mexican narrative that was constructed during and in the immediate aftermath of the war, about the war, and will highlight some of the most salient differences.

A Case Study Of Harmful Revisionist History: An Analysis Of Nada Por Lo Que Pedir Perdón By Marcelo Gullo Omodeo, Anna Anderson

Honors Program Theses

No abstract provided.

El Doble Discurso Del Simbolismo De La (Pureza De) Sangre En El Diario Espiritual De La Donada Afroperuana Úrsula De Jesús, Yertty M. Vandermolen

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Purity of Blood Symbolism and Double Discourse in The Spiritual Diary of the Afro-Peruvian Donada Úrsula de Jesús

Through a close reading of The Spiritual Diary, this study examines how the Afro-Peruvian donada Úrsula de Jesús—whose experiences and visions were recorded and transcribed by a group of literate nuns in her convent—employs discursive strategies to dismantle the discourse of blood purity and reformulate the meaning of the blood. Drawing on the Christian belief that all humans are created equally in the image of God and redeemed through the blood of Christ as promised for universal salvation, Úrsula constructs an egalitarian …

Guanacos De Corazón, Ana Marcela Sinnett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersections of indigeneity, mestizaje, and decolonial aesthetics through a mixed-media art practice rooted in Salvadoran history and identity. Drawing on ancestral traditions such as indigo dyeing and backstrap weaving, Guanacos de Corazón investigates how materiality, folklore, and handcraft function as forms of visual resistance, meaning art that disrupts dominant narratives, critiques systems of power, and reclaims erased cultural memory.

Through formal analysis, historical context, and interviews with Salvadoran artists, this thesis challenges ideas of mestizaje that promote cultural and ethnic superiority and contribute to the erasure of ancestral beliefs.

How do we rescue ancestral traditions that …

Moral Bonds, Modern Subjects: Pecúlio, Property Rights, And The Abolition Of Slavery In Rio De Janeiro, 1822-1888, Alexander Joseph Lundberg

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the role of enslaved persons’ savings for self-purchase manumission (pecúlio) within the process of gradual abolition in the province of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Article IV of the 1871 Rio Branco Law granted enslaved persons in Brazil the legal ownership of their savings and, with those savings, the right to purchase freedom. Article IV supplemented the “free womb” provision of the Rio Branco Law, which declared that all children henceforth born to enslaved mothers were free. In the Brazilian Parliament, the law’s proponents argued that the savings provision would help reduce the enslaved population by codifying long-standing …

Remedios Varo: Peregrinaciones, Julia Condes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

At the time of her death, the artist Remedios Varo (1908–1963) left behind over 500 works of art, the majority of which were created in her adopted country of Mexico. Known for her meticulously crafted fantastical paintings, Varo underwent exile and displacement due to first the Spanish Civil War, and later World War II, which led her to relocate to Mexico, where she would create prolifically for the remainder of her life. This paper will examine the effect of those experiences on the artist and the work she produced, attesting to Varo’s ability to translate complex emotions regarding the human …

A Story Of Oppression A Psychological And Creative Approach, Juan R. Morillo

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The aim of this project is to survey the manner in which oppression is expressed in selected works of literature. It is a topic that not only am I familiar with through my studies of literature and psychology, but one that I, as well as every Venezuelan expatriate has witnessed and felt for their country. The project focuses on social and political oppression, using the current Venezuelan crisis as a focal point, and selected literary sources as a framework. I will analyze dystopian classics such as George Orwell's 1984 and Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, as well as Margaret Atwood’s The …

Sobre Gerardo Sánchez Nateras, La Última Revolución. La Insurrección Sandinista Y La Guerra Fría Interamericana, Mateo Jarquín

History Faculty Articles and Research

A review of La última revolución. La insurrección sandinista y la Guerra Fría interamericana by Gerardo Sánchez Nateras.

Methods In Environmental Studies, Erika Dunagan, Maya Mendoza, Posey Graber, Alex Cullins, Emma Mcginnis, Ally Nepomuceno, Isabella Buchan

Featured Student Work

This publication is a collection of undergraduate research conducted in the Methods in Environmental Studies course at the University of San Francisco in Fall 2024. The student-led projects explore the intersections of place, policy, ecology, and cultural identity through applied environmental research methodologies. Topics include a decolonial examination of the Forest Park Mound Group and Indigenous resilience in St. Louis; a comparative study of Navajo cosmology and ecological justice; a social and environmental impact assessment of Costa Rica’s National Decarbonization Plan; a psychogeographical analysis of Golden Gate Park and its impact on the psyche, emotions, behaviour, and health of urban …

A Legacy Of Discord: Controversial Meanings In American Mudéjar Style (20th–21st Centuries), Francisco Mamani Fuentes

Artl@s Bulletin

This paper offers an American perspective on the term Mudéjar, examining debates in the study of American colonial art and architecture from the 20th century to the present day. It delves into the debates surrounding its stylistic classification and the resulting ambiguities associated with linking all geometric forms to Islamic aesthetics. The paper concludes that the current application of the term in architectural studies has overlooked criticisms from visual culture studies, which tend to ignore the constructive and design-specific aspects where Mudéjar might hold greater stylistic legitimacy.

Este artículo presenta una perspectiva americana sobre el término Mudéjar, examinando …

Yet Further South: The Brazilian Confederados Through The Lens Of Historiography, Christian Mumpower

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

As the American Civil War drew to a close, Confederate soldiers began to desert at an ever higher rate. Among the deserters, some ambitious souls who could not fathom living under a restored Union began to look beyond the borders of the United States for refuge and were soon joined in their endeavor by several high-ranking officials and military officers. Many of these expatriates soon found themselves in the equatorial Empire of Brazil, where they were allowed to perpetuate their plantation way of life. These Confederados, as the locals referred to them, unknowingly facilitated a massive scientific and cultural exchange …

Good Grief!: The Challenging Of Middle-Class Life By Youth Culture In Mafalda And Peanuts, Eden E. Baize

The Cardinal Edge

The politically and socially tumultuous world of the mid-20th century in both Argentina and the United States inspired the creation of two incredibly influential comic strips: Joaquín Salvador Lavado’s, also known as Quino’s, Mafalda in Argentina, and Charles Schultz’s Peanuts in the United States. These comics changed the popular conception of childhood in their respective countries by reflecting the cultural shifts which challenged existing social conventions like family organization. Primarily, however, the central theme of these works rested in the commentary on the growing middle-class and the role of younger generations in championing countercultural and antiestablishment movements against this expansion. …

Summer Flas Info-Session For Minority-Serving Institutions, Dr. Lenny Ureña Valerio

LAII Events

Through generous funding from the US Department of Education, the Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) offers Academic Year (AY) and Summer FLAS Fellowships at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The FLAS Fellowship supports the study of less-commonly taught languages, area studies, and international competencies related to Latin America. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, February 26, 2025 by 11:59pm.

Join us for this info-session via Zoom to learn more about our Summer FLAS Fellowships!

See our student funding page for more information about Summer and Academic Year FLAS Fellowships.

Foreign Language And Study Abroad Funding Opportunities, Dr. Todd Karr, Dr. Lenny Ureña Valerio

LAII Events

Join LAII and GEO to learn more about foreign language and study abroad funding opportunities, including: Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, Boren Awards, Critical Language Scholarships (CLS), Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarships, and the Freeman-Asia Program.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship: The FLAS Fellowship supports the study of less-commonly taught languages, area studies, and international competencies related to Latin America.

Boren Awards: Boren Awards support the study of critical languages and cultural field studies ofworld regions that are underrepresented in study abroad.

Critical Language Scholarship: CLS provides opportunities for American college and universitystudents to study languages …

Maya Cuisine: Yesterday, Today, And Tomorrow, Chef Santos Canel

LAII Events

Monday, November 18, 2024 | 02:00 pm

Ortega Hall | Reading Room (third floor)

About:

Join the LAII for a talk led by Chef Canel about traditional Maya cuisine. Chef Canel will talk about traditional Maya cuisine and his work in bringing this ancient cuisine forward into the 21st Century.

Santos Canel studied at the Santorini Culinary Academy and Ministry of Education in Guatemala City, earning a professional chef degree and certificate, as well as a diploma in Guatemalan Gastronomy. He has been recognized by the Latin American Federation of Master Chefs in Guatemala. He currently serves as Executive Chef …

The Future Of U.S.-Mexico Relations, Dr. Abelardo Rodriguez Sumano, Dr. Jorge A. Schiavon, Dr. Rafael Velazquez, Patricia Pinzon Sanchez

LAII Events

Monday, November 18, 2024 | 03:00 pm

National Hispanic Cultural Center | Wells Fargo Theatre

About:

Join the UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute, the Mexican Consulate in Albuquerque, and the National Hispanic Cultural Center for a panel discussing the future of US-Mexico relations.

The purpose of this panel is to discuss the nature of the current relationships between Mexico and the United States. The participants will also try to foresee the perspectives of the future interaction between both countries. As the relation embodies both promising opportunities and reasons for alarm, the panel will explore the context of the two …

Language Reclamation Through Dictionary-Building Along The Brazil-Bolivia Border, Dr. Joshua Birchall

LAII Events

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 03:00 pm - 04:00 pm

Latin American and Iberian Institute (801 Yale Blvd NE)

801 Yale Blvd NE (campus building #165)

About:

Join LAII for a discussion about language reclamation on the Brazil-Bolivia border led by Professor Birchall.

The Moré and Kuyubim communities each live on different sides of the Guaporé/Iténez River that forms a border between Brazil and Bolivia, and despite sharing a traditional language and having starkly different colonial histories, they are both shifting to the dominant languages of the countries they live in. This talk discusses how the production of a first …

Interview With Cristina Sayegh (2024-10-17)

Latino Virginia Oral History Project

Cristina Sayegh shared her multicultural background, detailing her mother's Colombian roots and her father's Palestinian roots with an upbringing in Kuwait. She moved frequently during her childhood, living in Florida, Dubai, and Virginia. Cristina attended Langley High School in McLean and is currently studying at VCU, majoring in International Studies with a concentration in Social Justice and a double major in Sculpture. She discussed her religious upbringing, her family's relocation from overseas to Florida, and then Virginia. In addition Cristina reflects on her experiences with the Latin community in NOVA and Richmond. Cristina also discusses her solo trip to Colombia …

Pura Vida: Reflections From Costa Rica, Lisette Gonzalez, Carolina Hernandez, Natalia Zevallos, Ailani Anglin, Isabela Jimenez, Melissa Johnson, Isabella Madrid, Xion Nelson, Alexia Pineda, Delaney Rendon, Chaylah Williams, Angel Vilchis

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

The First-Gen Voices Journal is proud to feature a special volume dedicated to the transformative experiences of first-generation college students on the recent Study Abroad Social Justice Immersion Trip to Costa Rica. Through this journey, participants gained a deeper grasp of activism and community building while engaging with social justice concerns on a worldwide scale. This volume will demonstrate the tenacity, enthusiasm, and vision of first-generation college students dedicated to societal change.

This issue features embedded film content. Experience the unique blend of text and film by clicking on the front cover image.

La Vida Rica, Angel Vilchis

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Through a first-person perspective, we travel along to Costa Rica with LMU’s First To Go students. Utilizing a long format, home video style, the goal is to communicate the authentic experiences that occurred during the trip. It’s one thing to be a young adult getting the chance to explore new parts of the world, but it’s a different privilege to get to do it with others that you can connect with. So much so that in the couple months preceding the trip, I found myself dealing with that post-trip depression. However, in that state, I found the beauty of being …

On My Heart, Chaylah Williams

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

I never thought that when I would start traveling internationally that it would be alone I always imagined it with my family, but never did I imagine traveling to really interact with the communities either I always thought of traveling as leisure. I guess I could say this impression was not implemented when OI started traveling as I started to notice how I didn’t want to do touristy things and I really just wanted to be. To be there to be present to be aware and I think that is what I enjoyed the most about my trip to Costa …