Lancer Library
Pathfinder

Para las clases de español de la Señora Schubert
Investigaciones sobre México, la América Central, Sud América y el Caribe.

Use links below to get to a subject quickly.
For each subject there is a list of websites and a list of library books.
In addition to websites and library books you may want to locate magazine and newspaper articles from EBSCO and Infotrac databases.

Las artes | Los aztecas | Los bailes | La comida y Las bebidas | Los conquistadores | Los dias de fiesta | Los dictadores | Geografîa | Los heroes | Los Incas | Los mayas | Las missiones | Los recursos naturales

Mapas de México | la América Central | Sud América | el Caribe

Las artes

Websites
Search for Mexico -new (to eliminate new mexico) and art and history

Artcyclopedia - Diego Rivera, Mexican Social Realist Muralist, 1886-1957 Colonial Art in Central America
Luis Albarran Y Pliego - a sculptor; site includes biography and slides of his works Yahoo listings for Frida Kahlo - dozens of links for biography, criticism, galleries and more

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title

REF 709
Sto

Art History Look up Mexico or name of specific artist in the Index
972
R741
The Art and Architecture of Mexico
REF 709.22 Bio
A Biographical Dictionary of Artists Names of artists arranged alphabetically

751.7309
Roc

Mexican Muralists
759.972
Alc
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
759.972
Ric
Frida Kahlo in Mexico
REF 709.22 Erg
Artists: From Michelangelo to Maya Lin - Locate biographical entries for Kahlo and Rivera
759.972
Hel
Mexican Painters

Los aztecas

Websites
Search for aztecs AND history or montezuma

The Aztecs - their creation, the culture, images, poetry and more Mexican and aztec history
The Aztecs - the history, food, crafts and more Montezuma and the aztecs - The life and times of the aztec empire.

Library Books

Go to LibNet (the library catalog) and select "Keyword" to search. Type aztecs; there are 17 books in the library about the aztecs.

Los bailes

Websites
Search for mexico and dances OR bailes

Alegria - Bailes y Danzas of Nayarit
Bailes Fokloricos - Mexican folk dancing
Ballet Folklorico - hundreds of years of history and tradition through dance

La comida y las bebidas

Websites
Search for Mexico and cooking or eating

Global Gourmet - one of the best ways to learn about a culture is to study what they eat RestauraMex - the history of Mexican cuisine
Mexican Hot..Or Not! - largest selection of authentic Mexican recipes; in English and Español Sue's Recipe Index - several simple items like salsa and fajitas

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title
641.5972
Hol
Authentic Mexican Cooking

641.5972
Gr

Creative Mexican Cooking

Los conquistadores

Websites
Search for Mexico and explorers or conquistadores or
specific explorer name

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
After the discoveries of Columbus had gained Spain a foothold in America, expeditions were soon set out to conquer this 'New World'. The leaders of these expeditions are called conquistadores, a name that denotes that they felt connected with the reconquista, the Christian (re)conquest of the Iberian peninsula on the Islam.

The most successful conquistador was Hernando Cortes, who in 1520-1521 overran the mighty Aztec empire, thus making Mexico (then called New Spain) a part of the Spanish empire. Of comparable importance was the conquest of the Inca empire by Francisco Pizarro.
.
The conquistadors have a bad reputation for their cruel manners in dealing with the native population. Most Europeans at the time regarded native Americans as barbarians, and torture, rape, slavery, and genocide were common. These actions were denounced by the Spanish priest Bartolome de Las Casas.

A list of conquistadors of Mexico is below.
Colonial Mexico - look for a link to conquistadores at the bottom of the page Francisco de Montejo an entry in Columbia Encyclopedia; another link at the Genealogy of Mexico
Pedro de Alvarado Jeronimo de Grijalva - the marooned priest who speeded the conquest
Fráncisco Hernandéz de Cordoba; a brief summary at Enchanted Learning with links to other explorers Juan de Grijalva - the history of Vera Cruz
Hernando Cortés - the most successful of the conquistadores Spanish Conquest (1519-1521)

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title
972.01
Ma
Aztecs and Spaniards
972.02
Pre
Cortes
972
Pre
The Conquest of Mexico
902
C225
100 Great Events That Changed the World

Los dias de fiesta

Websites
Search for Mexico and fiesta or holiday

Christmas Traditions in Mexico - text in both English and Español La Quinceañera - an Hispanic celebration of budding womanhood
Dîa de los Muertos - Mexico honors those gone but not forgotten; another site is Food for the Ancestors Semana Santa Pascua - Holy week from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday. Another Pascua site.

El Grito - Mexico's day of independence from Spain

 

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title
REF
305.8
Wor
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life Volume 2 - Americas

At circulation
desk

Culturgrams
REF
394.2
Ing
A Celebration of Customs and Rituals of the World    

Los dictadores

Websites
Search for Mexico and dictator or specific name of dictator

Benito Pablo Juarez (1806 - 1872) Porfirio Dîaz - a page created as a student project
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna - Master of Chutzpah Transformation of Dîaz - from democrat to autocrat

Geografia

Websites

Search for (name of country) and geography

Explore Galapagos - from Discovery School Latin America Links - a social science teacher compiled a directory of Latin America links for history and geography
Lake Titicaca - according to legend this lake gave birth to Inca civilization, but it was there before the Incas Panama Canal - one of the greatest engineering marvels of all time

Los heroes

Websites
Go to Historical Figures, then search specific name

Doña Marina - a little known woman who did a great thing; she was known as La Malinche Pancho Villa - Mexico's Robin Hood; here are several links describing aspects of Villa's llife
Mexico's Lincoln - the ecstasy and agony of Benito Juarez, 1808-1872; another brief summary of Juarez Simon Bolivar - liberator of South America

Library Books

Call Number
Title
CallNumber
Title
   
323.409
Arc
You Can't Do That To Me: famous fights for human rights
921
Vil
Pancho Villa
980
Ada
Liberators and Patriots of Latin America

Los incas

Websites
Search for inca AND Peru

History of Peru - includes Inca empire and the conquest Pachamama - Incas believe Pachamama personified the earth.
Ice Mummies - the companion Web site for the three-hour PBS special "Ice Mummies." Peru, Land of the Incas - captioned photos of people and places; includes links to Machu Picchu, Nazca and Paracas
Inca Project - an online project created by a 6th grade social studies class with some great links about Incas. Sacred Valley of the Incas - a travel guide for this area including history, art and useful tips for travelers.

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title
985 Nat
Incredible Incas and their Timeless Land
980.01 Inc
Incas: Lords of Gold and Glory
918.044 Mul
Along the Inca Road
985 H811
Pizarro and the Conquest of Peru
980.3 V946
Realm of the Incas
985 Hem
Machu Picchu

Los mayas

Websites
Search maya AND history AND culture

Ancient Mesoamerican Civilizations  
Art of the Ancient Cultures The Classic Period - Mayans
Brief History of the Maya Mesoamerica
Chichen Itza Maya Culture | Language | Numbers | Maps

Library Books

Call Number
Title
Call Number
Title
Pamphlet
File
Land of the Maya 970.3
B474
Maya World
972.81
Mag
Magnificent Maya
917.28
S967
Among the Mayan Ruins

Las misiones

Websites
Search for Mexico and mission

California Mission Studies - a day in the life of a friar History of mission churches in New Mexico
California Missions - Of the 21 missions only four are still administered by Franciscans New Mexico Missions - still alive after four centuries
Early Jesuits in Mexico - the first Jesuit priests arrived in Mexico City in 1572 Texas Missions - an in-depth history of Spanish missions

Go to LibNet and see what is in the Lancer Library book collection. Do a "Keyword" search for California OR Texas OR New Mexico AND mission. One book in particular will be helpful. The title is The tree at the center of the world: the story of California missions
(Call # 266 Bar)

Los recursos naturales

Websites
Search for (name of country) AND natural resources OR name of a specific resource

Bananas - background, news articles and links to more information about this crop in a global economy; also at Central American Bananas Forests of Central and South America -  Forests in Latin America, specifically tropical rain forests, are known to play a very important role in maintaining the ecological integrity of the whole planet
BioGems - brief descriptions of endangered wild places in Chile, Peru, Brazil, Costa Rica and Belize Minga - a program initiative aimed to improve Central and South Americans ability to manage their natural resources more effectively
Caribbean National Forest - the most biologically diverse forest that the National Forest System manages Quetzal - bird of Central America; the resplendent quetzal, an Elusive Phoenix
Coffee - Spilling the Beans; or Trouble Brewing: the changing face of coffee production TRAFFIC South America - provides information of high technical and scientific quality in order to highlight the environmental, economic and social consequences of resource depletion and biodiversity loss
The Coffee Process - brief description of cultivating, harvesting, extracting; or go to Coffee Fundamentals and click on history Yahooligans - links to 15 different sites with information about the Amazon