Tulane University, Latin American Library
Latin American Library
Howard-Tilton Memorial Library
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA 70118
Telephone number: (504) 865-5681
Fax: (504) 862-8970
Email: gns@tulane.edu or ddressi@tulane.edu
Website: http://www.tulane.edu/~latinlib/lalhome.html
Contact person: Guillermo Náñez Falcón or David Dressing
Access privileges: Open to public, some restrictions may apply
Hours: The special collections are open weekdays during regular business hours. The Latin American Library stacks are accessible whenever Howard-Tilton is open (hours may vary during holidays), but reference help is limited to the office hours listed below.
Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
(Hours may change during academic year and during holidays)
Repository Information:
The Latin American Library is the repository of more than 100 collections of manuscripts, dating from the early 16th century to the present day. In all, the library has over 750 linear feet of manuscripts. The acquisition and organization of the manuscript collections began in the early 1920s, when the library itself was first established. Collection guides and the manuscript card catalogue provide more detailed descriptions of each collection, as well as major biographical, geographical and topical references.
The photographic archive contains over 50 major collections of photographs and 25,000 individual items, dating from the mid-19th century to the present. Areas of interest include the colonial architecture of Peru, Mexico, and Guatemala, and pre-Columbian art and artifacts. Also includes ethnological material on Indian villages, costumes, and archeological sites, particularly in Mexico and Central America. A number of collections provide valuable photographs relating to contemporary social anthropology in Mexico, Guatemala, and elsewhere. All of these collections are housed in the Latin American Library, but additional photographs relating to the archaeology and anthropology of Mesoamerica are housed in the Middle American Research Institute. In addition to the named collections described below, material of and relating to women is to be found scattered throughout the Library's holdings.
Finding aids: Available in the repository and (most) are online.
Facilities: Photocopying; power sockets available for laptops.
COLLECTIONS:
1. Denègre, Edith Byane
1904-ca. 1913
11 items, 190 photographs
The Denègre collection is composed of the travel journals and corresponding albums of commercial photographs of Edith Bayne Denègre, a native of New Orleans, who between 1904 and 1911 made trips to the St. Louis Fair, to Europe, Cuba, and Panama. In a lively and uninhibited style with good humor and perceptive detail, Mrs. Denègre describes the places she visits, allowing an occasional glimpse of the prejudices she shares with the society of her day. Included also is a short undated history of Mexico from the time of the Toltecs to Madero, which she wrote in about 1913.
2. Gordoa Family Papers
1822-1846
5 boxes
This collection relates to the Gordoa family of San Luis Potos’, Mexico, whose wealth derived from mining interests in that area. The documents consist of family papers, political papers from the time that Luis Gonzaga Gordoa was active in government, business correspondence, records of the Gordoa mines and haciendas, and papers and publications connected with the government-owned Fresnillo mines. Although most of the documents specifically relate to Luis Gonzaga Gordoa, many of the letters are addressed to his wife Mariana Rubio de Gordoa from her sisters, Delores, Carmen and Isabel. The three sisters lived in San Luis Potos’ and Querétaro, while the couple resided in Mexico City. The letters reflect the political situation of the time, including the activities of Santa Anna and the revolution in Mexico City. Clearly, education was important to the Gordoas, as the women of the family were very literate if not literary.
3. Manduley, Lyn Smith
1939-1945
88 letters, 9 enclosures
The collection consists of handwritten and typed letters that Evelyn Smith Manduley sent from Peru to her parents Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Smith of Morristown, New Jersey, during the six-year period from 1939-1945 when she lived in Lima with her husband Manuel de Manduley. They end abruptly with no exact date for the Manduleys' time of departure from Peru.
4. Parmenter, Ross
ca. 100 boxes
Much of the information in this collection relates to Zelia Nuttall. Nuttall was a pioneer in early archaeology and anthropology of Mexico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born to a prominent San Francisco family, educated in England and developed an early interest in Mexican manuscript paintings. The Parmenter papers include an unedited manuscript biography of Nuttall by Parmenter (over 3,000 pages) and much of the material he gathered researching the life and career of this interesting woman.
5. Robertson, Martha and Donald
1934-1992
41.5 cubic ft.
For many years, Donald and Martha Robertson formed a unique academic partnership on the Tulane University campus and also, in a larger sense, in the area of study of pre-Columbian and colonial Latin American art. Martha collaborated with her husband, Donald on several studies and served as his indispensable right hand in advising, typing, editing, and pushing his various works to conclusion. She was educated in the traditional history of art; and through her close association with her husband, became as knowledgeable as he in the lesser-recognized field of pre-Columbian and colonial Latin American art. She served as an invaluable reference resource in the Latin American Library at Tulane University where she worked. Included are extensive correspondence with associates throughout the world, many photographs, and the research materials gathered in numerous areas. After her death, the Martha and Donald Robertson Chair of Latin American Art was established at Tulane University.