Resource List: Locating Latinx History in the United States
Every year, the PastForward conference offers a series of meetings that focus on the state of protecting historic sites, landscapes, and the cultural history of various diversity affinity groups. Organized by community members, these sessions discuss successes and challenges and provide resources and guidance to those in attendance. In 2021, the affinity program will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2. For more information on these sessions—which are free and open to the public—and PastForward Online 2021, visit SavingPlaces.org/conference.
October 15 marks the end of what is formally called Hispanic Heritage Month, but we know that the stories of Latinx and Hispanic Americans are not one singular story, and that whose story we are telling depends on a wide range of historical factors and events. Knowing that, I wanted to pull together a list—as I did with LGBTQ and Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage earlier this year—that will start preservationists on a journey to learn more about this particular group of Americans all year round.
As with the other lists, this set of resources is not comprehensive. What I have pulled together below is a list of organizations doing the work to preserve the history and culture of Latinx and Hispanic America, a sampling of historic context statements and other reference materials, and a set of stories from both Preservation Leadership Forum and SavingPlaces.org related to the Latinx and Hispanic American experience.
Thank you to Desiree Aranda and Sarah Zenaida Gould, co-chairs of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, for some of the suggestions on this list.
photo by: Meg Lousteau
The LULAC Clubhouse in Houston, Texas following exterior rehabilitation in July 2021. This historic site is an example of the important places around the country that tell the story of Latinx and Hispanic Americans.
Organizations
- Latinos in Heritage Conservation
- Para la Naturaleza
- Smithsonian Latino Center
- National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures
- Mexican American Civil Rights Institute
- National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies
- Across the country, there are museums focused on Latinx and Hispanic American arts and culture. To see if there is one near you, check out either of these lists from HipLatina (2018) and Mi Legasi.
Resources and Context Statements:
- American Latino Heritage Theme Study (National Park Service)
- Hispanic Access Foundation: Place, Story & Culture Whitepaper | Key Findings
- Latino/Chicano Historic Context Study: City and County of Denver
- City of Riverside Latino Historic Context Statement
- Latino Los Angeles Historic Context Statement
- Latinos in Twentieth Century California
- Smithsonian: Latinas Talk Latinas
- Voces Oral History Project
- Latinx History Project
- NPR Alt.Latino Podcast
- Note on Language from NPR’s Code Switch
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Latino & Hispanic American Heritage Stories
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Preservation Magazine Next Stop, Mexicantown: A Historic Detroit Neighborhood Prepares for Change -
11 Most Endangered Historic Places Documenting San Antonio’s Alazán-Apache Courts -
Preserve Route 66 The Abuelas Project: Changing the Way We Remember the Past -
Telling the Full American Story Our Historia, Our Futuro: The Latinx Preservation Toolkit -
Backing Historic Small Restaurants The Mitla Cafe: Serving the San Bernardino Community for Generations -
Telling the Full American Story Documenting the Rio Vista Farm and Bracero Reception Center
