Latin American & Caribbean Special Collections: Thematic Collections

García Pimentel, Luis: Collection. 1531-1927. Documents from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries that chronicle the development, management, and activities of several sugar plantations in Mexico located in the states of Morelos and Puebla. The bulk of the collection centers in the Haciendas of Santa Ana Tenango and Santa Clara Montefalco, both in the state of Morelos. 

De Mey van Streefkerk Family Papers. 1725-1830. Reproductions of letters and other documents pertaining to the sugar plantations operated by the De Mey van Streefkerk family in the Dutch colony of Surinam in the West Indies.

Cary, Samuel: Letterbook for the Simon Plantation, St. Kitts. 1765-1772. Documenting accounts, slaves, and activities of the plantation in the West Indies.

Slavery and Plantations in Saint-Domingue Collection. 1779-1791. Letters, inventories, and account books pertaining to potential sales of various plantations and holdings, including slaves, in Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti). Provides information about the French colony in the decade leading up to the revolt by black slaves in 1791.

Observations Importantes by Sugar Traders in Nantes, France. 1788. "Observations Importantes" by anonymous sugar traders in Nantes, France, and an "Avis" written by the deputies of commerce of Brittany. Also touches on the slave trade.

Crosbie, William: Estate Papers. 1792-1816. Correspondence concerning Crosbie's plantations in Antigua.

Parker, John: Letters. 1815. Three letters from Parker in Havana, Cuba, to his employer, A. C. Johnstone, discussing slave, coffee, sugar, and other markets in Havana.

José Antonio Saco Letters. 1837. Letters written by the Cuban intellectual José Antonio Saco documenting his abolitionist efforts during his residence in Europe.

Cuban Slave Death Certificates and Burial Letters Collection. 1852-1898. The collection, which spans the second half of the nineteenth century, includes 28 documents. Some are letters of slave owners to the priest of the church of Montserrat in La Habana, Cuba; others are death certificates of slaves, runaway slaves, and free persons of color issued by the Real Hospital de Caridad de San Felipe y Santiago.

Cuban Slave Insurance Collection. 1855-1878. Seventeen documents pertaining to insurance for slaves in Cuba.

Chinese Indentured Workers in Cuba Contracts. 1861-1878. The collection houses 25 Cuban contracts spanning from 1861 to 1878 for Chinese indentured workers. The contracts hail from different parts of Cuba and include personal information about the workers as well as information regarding the conditions of the contract and special provisions. This collection offers a glimpse into the changing nature of labor in Cuba in the 1860s and surrounding years.

St. Pierre. Photographs Showing the Destruction in St. Pierre from the 1902 Mt. Pelée Volcanic Eruption, 1902. A collection of 28 images showing the aftermath and damages in St. Pierre, Martinique caused by the 1902 volcanic eruption of Mt. Pelée. .01 linear feet. MSS 0421

A Visit to Jamaica in 1907 Immediately After the Great Earthquake Photo Album

Hardman, Martha James. Photograph Collection on the 1970 Chimbote Earthquake in Peru, 1970. Thirty-five photographs depicting the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Chimbote, Peru in 1970. .58 linear feet. MSS 0413

Claxton, Robert: Climatology Collection. 1974-2000. Bob Claxton was a professor at West Georgia College, with a teaching and research focus on Latin America and the Environment, as well as an author of numerous articles and books. This subject collection focuses on climatology in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, with a particular focus on climate change, drought, and other extreme or disastrous weather events.

The Puno-Tambopata Program Collection. 1955-1960. The collection contains reports, work plans, and research on the Puno-Tambopata Program (PPT) for Peru's Ministry of Labor and Indigenous Affairs. The collection is useful to researchers interested in Andean Studies, ethnographic research, and topics such as colonialism and cultural assimilation.
Lawrence Carpenter Papers. 1973-1989. The Lawrence Carpenter Papers date from 1983-1989 and primarily contain field notebooks, index cards, general files and publications, slides, and AV material related to linguist and anthropologist Lawrence Carpenter's research on the Quechua (note in Ecuador the name of the language is “Quichua”, elsewhere it is “Quechua”) language in South America. 

Aymara Language Recordings. 1969-2007. The collection contains 38 audio reels from the 1970s that appear to be part of a course on the Aymara language created by Martha J. Hardman, a Linguistic Anthropology professor at the University of Florida. The audio reels contain teaching materials, such as, dialogues, exercises, reviews, and exams on the Aymara language.

Francis Daniel Althoff, Jr. Collection on Afromexican Spanish. 1985-1993. The Francis Daniel Althoff, Jr. Collection on Afromexican Spanish houses the research and related materials for his doctoral dissertation, “The Afro-Hispanic Speech of the Municipio of Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero.” The collection dates from 1985 to 1993 and consists of field interviews preserved on audiocassettes, transcripts of the interviews, an audiocassette with traditional music from the Cuajinicuilapa region, conference reports from the 1985 Segundo Congreso Nacional Asociación Latinoamericana de Estudios Afroasiáticos, and newspaper articles related to the topic of Afromexican Spanish in the Cuajinicuilapa region.

Jane Malinoff-Kamide Collection on Afro-Brazil. 1924-2023. This is a comprehensive and extensive collection on the history of Afro-Brazil issues in general, with a focus on literature, newspapers, scholars, poets, and organizations. The collection contains original newspaper issues of the first Black newspaper in Brazil, O Clarim D’Alvorada, as well as many copies of newspapers from the 1920s to the 1980s. The collection contains books and original publications and includes extensive documentation on notable Afro-Brazilian individuals such as Alberto Guerreiro Ramos, Paulo Colina, Oswaldo de Camargo, and Abdias do Nascimento, a poet, dramatist, scholar, activist, and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee. This is a great collection for researchers interested in the history of Afro-Brazil, the rise of the Afro-Brazil press, poets, writers, and thinkers.

García Pimentel, Luis: Collection. 1531-1927. Documents from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries that chronicle the development, management, and activities of several sugar plantations in Mexico located in the states of Morelos and Puebla. The bulk of the collection centers in the Haciendas of Santa Ana Tenango and Santa Clara Montefalco, both in the state of Morelos. 

De Mey van Streefkerk Family Papers. 1725-1830. Reproductions of letters and other documents pertaining to the sugar plantations operated by the De Mey van Streefkerk family in the Dutch colony of Surinam in the West Indies.

Royal Havana Company: Collection. 1749. Royal Havana Company was a Spanish company based in Havana, Cuba, which specialized in shipbuilding and trading of tobacco and sugar. This collection includes notes about shipments of tobacco and a letter penned by Martin de Arostegui defending his role as president of Royal Havana Company. 

Cary, Samuel: Letterbook for the Simon Plantation, St. Kitts. 1765-1772. Documenting accounts, slaves, and activities of the plantation in the West Indies.

Observations Importantes by Sugar Traders in Nantes, France. 1788. "Observations Importantes" by anonymous sugar traders in Nantes, France, and an "Avis" written by the deputies of commerce of Brittany. Also touches on the slave trade.

Crosbie, William: Estate Papers. 1792-1816. Correspondence concerning Crosbie's plantations in Antigua.

Parker, John: Letters. 1815. Three letters from Parker in Havana, Cuba, to his employer, A. C. Johnstone, discussing slave, coffee, sugar, and other markets in Havana.

Sandbach, Tinne, & Co.: Records. 1820-1882. Correspondence to the firm of Sandbach, Tinne, & Co. from McInroy, Sandbach, & Co.; McInroy, Parker, & Co.; and other affiliates in the Demerara region of British Guiana, primarily relating to sugar, molasses, coffee, and rum.

Matanzas-Sabanilla Railway Extension Collection. 1843. Cuban manuscripts from 1843 documenting the negotiations for the construction of the Matanzas-Sabanilla railway extension passing through important sugar refineries in Cuba.

Angrick II, William P.: Collection of Latin American and Caribbean Stereographs. 1860, circa 1890-1910. Collection of 18 stereograph images showing scenes and views from South American countries, Cuba, Jamaica, and Florida. 

Braga Brothers Records. 1860-1984. Business records of the Czarnikow-Rionda Company and its affiliates. The collection documents the development of the Cuban sugar industry from the 1870s to 1960.

Business Letters Describing Cuba Financial Market. 1867-1871. Correspondence from agents in Cuba reporting on business and market conditions to merchants in Portland, Maine.

Photographs of Sugar Mills in Puerto Rico. circa 1898. Four photos of the Santa Isabel sugar mill of Henry Rosich and the largest Puerto Rican sugar mill, Guanica.

Taco Bay Commercial Company Records. 1908-1919. Correspondence, financial records, and stockholders' reports of the company's agricultural enterprises in Cuba.

Cuban Sugar Workers and Sugar Mills Photographs (by Arnold Eagle). circa 1950-1960. Photographs, negatives, and prints taken by Arnold Eagle detailing views of sugar mills, workers, and life in the countryside of Cuba. 

List of tokens & paper notes issued for the use of sugar estates in the island of Cuba. Catalog of 140 sugar estate tokens of Cuba collected by Henry Alexander Ramsden.

Lamborn and Company Records.1897-1985. The Lamborn Collection is divided into four series: Unpublished Documents, Publications, Miscellany and Memorabilia, and Photographs. 

Caribbean and West Indies Cruise Trip Photograph Album.  Photographic album containing photographs taken during a cruise trip aboard the S. S. Rotterdam while sailing through the Caribbean and the West Indies in 1935.

Harold and Geraldine Haskins Cuban Postcard Collection. This collection includes 254 postcards and two postcard leaflets from Cuba depicting major sites in Havana and Santiago de Cuba, images of culture and everyday life, and views of the ocean and nature.

A.S. Arnold's Photo Album and Diary of a Trip to Jamaica. Photo album and travel diary documenting a 1904 trip to Jamaica taken by three New York doctors.

Valerie Sammons Collection. Newspapers, T-shirts, pamphlets, and photographs gathered or created by Valerie Sammons on a goodwill visit to Grenada in 1983.

Richard F. Phillips Latin American Postcard Collection. The collection consists of postcards featuring views of various cities and countries throughout Latin America, as well as images of Latin American art.

Album de viaje. On July 13, 1842, Eusebio and Antonio Guiteras Font embarked on a three year voyage that took them from their home in Matanzas to the United States, Canada, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, the Holy Land, and Eygpt. The collections consists of three journals written by Eusebio. It contains detailed notes of the journey along with memorabilia from the trip.

Mexico Tourism Collection. 1935-1962. The collection contains maps and brochures to promote tourism in Mexico from Barbachano's Travel Service, Dirección General de Turismo, Yucatan Trails Travel Agency, Mexicana Airlines, Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), and National Railways of Mexico. The majority of the brochures are from PEMEX.

1920s Florida and Cuba Tourist Photos. 1920-1929. Photographs of Florida landmarks taken on a trip through Florida to Cuba. Examples include Jacksonville, Miami, Palm Beach, and Havana.

Bess de Farber Collection on Bilingual-Bicultural Program. 1963-1971. Contains photographs, progress reports, correspondence, and other documents collected by Bess de Farber, a student at the Coral Way Elementary School in Miami Dade County during the 1960s. This was the nation's first public school with a program for both English and Spanish speakers.

COVID-19 Florida Farmworkers Collection. 2020-2022. An archive of snapshots of relevant digital content that capture the impact that COVID-19 had on farmworkers in Florida.

Latina Women's League Records. 2005-2019.  The collection includes: correspondence, minutes, reports, legal documents, grant applications, newspapers, leaflets, a CD-ROM and posters. The collection covers topics such as the Gainesville Latino Film Festival, meetings, art, education, and community events. 

Braga Brothers Records. 1860-1984. Business records of the Czarnikow-Rionda Company and its affiliates. The collection documents the development of the Cuban sugar industry from the 1870s to 1960. 

Stevens Brothers letter book on sugar commerce with Cuba, 1858 March- 1860 October.  

Matanzas-Sabanilla Railway Extension Collection, 1843 February-August. Cuban manuscripts from 1843 documenting the negotiations for the construction of the Matanzas-Sabanilla railway extension passing through important sugar refineries in Cuba. .01 linear feet. MSS 0405.

Calderón de la Barca, Frances, Life in Mexico. Accounts that give passenger's view of railroads.

Guia de forasteros de la siempre fiel de Cuba. Published by the Captain General's Office

Thomas (Tom) Willey Papers. 1980s-2003. The majority of the documents in the collection are about Tom Wille's work as Latin American/Caribbean Director at World Relief Corporation, disaster relief, and Cuban and Haitian refugee resettlement cases.

Larry Crook Collection on Brazilian Folklore. 1985-2001. Brazilian folklore, music, carnivals, and the Yoruba religion. The majority of the materials consist of newsletters and newspapers.

Catechisms and Sermons by Jesuit Priests in Bolivia. 1649. In Spanish and Aymara languages.

Rolfs, Peter Henry: Collection. 1899-1943. Papers of Peter Henry Rolfs, former Dean of the UF College of Agriculture (1915-1920), Director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station (1906-1920), and Director of the Escola Superior de Agricultura e Veterinaria, in Viscosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Part of University Archives Manuscript Collections.

Wagley, Charles: Papers. 1937-1965. The Wagley Papers document anthropological fieldwork in the cultures of South America, especially Guatemala and Brazil. Part of University Archives Manuscript Collections.

Pierson, Donald: Papers. circa 1938-1965. Manuscript lecture and research notes of social anthropologist, mostly relating to Brazil.

Smith, Thomas Lynn: Papers. 1952, 1975-1976. Manuscripts for three unpublished books on the social ecology of Latin America. Also of interest is a memorandum on agrarian reform in Brazil written in 1952 when Smith served as an advisor to the Brazilian government. Part of University Archives Manuscript Collections.

The Marianne Schmink Papers. 1970-2020. The materials include personal and project documents, correspondence, photographs, slides, negative films, magazines, newspapers and clippings, newsletters, postcards, maps, audiovisual and digital materials. The collection focuses in the Amazon region and topics related to the environment, natural resource management, gender studies, women in development, tropical conservation, and anthropology.

Larry Crook Collection on Brazilian Folklore. 1985-2001. Brazilian folklore, music, carnivals, and the Yoruba religion. The majority of the materials consist of newsletters and newspapers.

Rochambeau, Donatien Marie Joseph de Vimeur: Papers. 1764-1803. Correspondence, decrees, and other documents regarding Donatien Marie Joseph de Vimeur Rochambeau's involvement with Saint Domingue and Toussaint Louverture.

Guzman, Bartolome: Letters. 1816. Two letters written by anonymous author to Guzman in Bolivia pertaining to political developments, the South American Wars of Independence, Peru, and the Rio de la Plata.

Dominican War of Independence Collection. 1844 February 28-August 3. An archive of seven Spanish manuscripts and one printed pamphlet by a Dominican rebel concerning the independence of the Dominican Republic from the nation of Haiti

The Alfredo Sánchez Echeverría Papers on Aureliano Sánchez Arango, 1960-1976. The materials include correspondence, personal and professional documents, photographs, newspapers, clippings, magazines, articles and audiovisual materials. The collection consists mostly of newspaper clippings and correspondence. The majority of the documents are photocopies, with few originals.

Rodriguez, Jose Ignacio: Papers. 1873-1890. Letters and documents of lawyer who represented clients whose property was seized by the Spanish government as retribution for their support of Cuban independence.

Guillén, Abraham: Manuscripts. 1943-1993. Published and unpublished manuscripts by one of the most prolific revolutionary writers in Latin America.

Chávez, Ernesto. Collection, 1951-1968. Ernesto Chávez Álvarez (b. 1942) is a Cuban writer and scholar who worked as a rural teacher during the early years of the revolutionary regime. This collection documents events and subversive movements in Cuba, as well as Chávez's own experience as a voluntary and rural teacher. Significant items in this collection include a rare collection of zines and periodicals, and photographs depicting various social and political scenes. 

Macaulay, Neill: Collection. 1954-2005. Papers of University of Florida Emeritus Professor of Latin American history Neill Macaulay. Includes interviews with Macaulay and his wife, Nancy. Part of University Archives Manuscript Collections. 

Pierce, Robert N: Collection. 1959. Newspaper clippings, contents of an official press packet, and photographs from reporter Robert N. Pierce's trip to Cuba shortly after Fidel Castro came to power in 1959.

Album de la Revolución Cubana 1952-1959. circa 1959-1960. Children's illustrated album.

Martínez Pupo, Rafael: Papers relating to Comandos Mambises. 1959-1984. Rafael Martínez Pupo was a successful business man in Cuba who lost all of his enterprises and belongings when Fidel Castro nationalized private property in 1959. He went into exile to Guatemala. In 1963, the CIA recruited him to lead a special operations unit of Cuban exiles, known as the Comandos Mambises, whose mission was to sabotage strategic targets in Cuba. The collection includes Martínez Pupo's correspondence with Cuban exiles, presidents, and news agents, as well as expense reports, receipts, and documents related to the Comandos Mambises. 

Peñate de Tito, Reina: Collection. 2001-2009. In 1961, Reina Peñate de Tito joined a counter revolutionary group that sought to overthrow Fidel Castro. That same year, along with other members of the group, she was arrested. This collection includes testimonials on her experience as a political prisoner as well as copies of the sentence and of the release documents

Ray, Manuel: Oral History Collection. 2008-2009. Two filmed interviews conducted by Lillian Guerra, one with Manuel Ray (aka Manolo) that is nine hours long, and the other with Aurora Chacón de Ray that is one hour and a half in length. Also included is a transcript of both interviews and several photographs.