Of the nearly 300 collections and collection series of manuscripts held by the Latin American Library, more than 70 of which relate to Central America. Others related specifically to individual countries in Central America increase that total dramatically. This is to say that the manuscript holdings of the Latin American Library provide a wealth of information and primary source materials for the study of Central America from a multitude of perspectives and in many dimensions. The list below is a small sampling of some of our major collections. Please see our special collections webpage for more information and search tools for our manuscript collection holdings.
The Latin American Library is one of only a handful of institutions in the United States to manage a stand alone Image Archive dedicated solely to Latin America and the Caribbean. Our holdings number over 110,000 pieces and represent a host of formats that include: photographic prints, cabinet cards and negatives, photograph albums, daguerreotypes, stereographic images and glass negatives, slides, art works, trade cards, and historic postcards.
Central America in its many dimensions is strongly represented in many of the individual collections. Below are highlighted just a small selection. Please see our special collections webpage for more information about our holdings and how to access them.
The Latin American Library's Maps Collection contains more than 4,000 individual map titles, archaeological drawings, and site plans. In addition to historical maps, the collection also boasts of expedition maps, topographic maps, urban maps of capitals and major cities, road maps, and tourist maps. Most of the maps in the collection are loose sheets, but there are also important maps for the region that exist in atlases or as pull-outs in rare books.
Central America is one of the geographic strengths of the collection.
Click HERE for a searchable pdf of the Library's Map Collection. A listing of our most recent additions are available HERE.
