Art and History of Colonial Latin America

A guide to primary and secondary sources in books, databases, and online archives.

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Use Library Quick Search to search for books and articles across many databases in a single search.

Google Scholar

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Key Databases

Art Full Text (EBSCO)
Selectively indexes and abstracts articles from art-related periodicals, yearbooks, and museum bulletins published throughout the world. Also indexes dissertations and art reproductions. Many articles in full text.
Bibliography of the History of Art
A comprehensive art bibliography, BHA covers European and American art from late antiquity through the early 21st century. Includes the fine arts and decorative and applied arts. Indexes art-related books, conference proceedings and dissertations, exhibition and dealers' catalogs, and articles from more than 1,400 journals. One of its strengths: indexing specialized international publications that are not widely distributed. Incorporates the complete contents of International Repertory of the Literature of Art (RILA) and Repertoire d'Art et d'Archeologie (RAA). Additional content published after 2007 can be found in the International Bibliography of Art (IBA).
Wiley Online Library
Provides full-text access to approximately 800 journals in a variety of disciplines published by Wiley, as well as over 1,700 ebooks. Includes American Anthropological Association journals, particularly useful for information on Mesoamerica.
Anthropological Literature (EBSCO)
Selectively indexes articles in anthropology and archaeology. Specifically, this includes social and cultural anthropology, archaeology, physical anthropology and related subjects, with an emphasis on Mesoamerican, Native American and Andean archaeology and ethnology. Coverage: 18th century to the present.
JSTOR
Searchable full-text and full-image backfiles of scholarly journals, as well as e-books, and primary resources. Subject areas include the arts, humanities, social sciences, science, math, and business. Includes the Artstor Digital Library containing millions of images from the world's museums, archives, and libraries.
Dissertations & Theses Global (ProQuest)
Provides citations and full-image access to doctoral dissertations and master's theses from more than 1,000 graduate schools and universities. Full-image PDFs are available for most titles published since 1997 and a limited number of titles previous to 1997. Coverage 1861-present.
Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals (EBSCO)
A comprehensive listing of journal articles published worldwide on architecture, city planning, interior design, landscape architecture, historic preservation, and sustainable design. Coverage is primarily from the 1930s to the present (with selective coverage dating back to the 1740s). No full text. Request articles via Get It For Me.
Humanities International Index (EBSCO)
Indexes and abstracts over 2,000 journals, books, and other internationally published works on a variety of topics in the humanities. Provides citation information for articles, essays and reviews, as well as original creative works, including poems, fiction, photographs, paintings, and illustrations. Note: Absorbed American Humanities Index, effective December 2005.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
Indexes and abstracts more than 9,300 journals with full-text content for more than 5,300. Also indexes/abstracts over 10,000 monographs, reports, and conference proceedings. Highly multidisciplinary, this resource covers social sciences, humanities, computer science, engineering, language and linguistics, arts and literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.
ProQuest Research Library
Offers indexing/abstracting to articles in over 3,300 journals across a wide range of subject areas, more than 1,700 of which are also available in full text. Subject strengths include the arts and humanities, business, education, health, international studies, law, literature, multicultural studies, psychology, the sciences, and the social sciences.

Search Terms That Work

Name of artist... for example:
"juan rodriguez juarez"
"albert eckhout"

Name of a codex or chronicle... for example:
telleriano

Name of a place... for example:
cuauhtinchan

Name of a work... (it should be something unique) for example:
Mulatto Gentlemen of Esmeraldas
Virgin of Guadalupe

Topic / Subject... You may need to use broader terms or narrow terms....for example:
art colonial latin america
art colonial new spain
art colonial spanish america
art colonial mexico
art colonial peru
painting colonial latin america
painting colonial south america
painting latin american 16th century
painting latin american 17th century
slave portraits latin america
casta or castas
manuscripts mexico
manuscripts spanish america
christian art and symbolism south america