One of the many digital offerings from the National Park Service is this fine collection of essays focusing on Latino heritage and history in the United States. The collection opens with a core essay by Stephen Pitti, Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University, who provides an "overview of the Latino journey...personified in five historical figures: the Cuban priest Felix Varela, the Mexican American author Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton, the Puerto Rican bibliophile Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, the Guatemalan civil rights organizer Luisa Moreno, and the Mexican American politician Edward Roybal." The meat of this theme study is in the sixteen essays that follow Pitti's introductory essay. Written in accessible language by professors from across the country, these sixteen essays (eight of which are also available in Spanish) are organized into four groups discussing the role of Latinos in American nation-building, culture, economic life, and struggles for equality. As the NPS puts it, "Latino history is American history," and this resource offers an excellent introduction that students and scholars, as well as the general public, can appreciate.
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