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- History of Mexico
History of Mexico
Use this guide to find primary and secondary sources for the study of all periods of Mexican history.
Selected Digital & Archival Sources
Most of the links below lead to digitized collections of primary source materials.
- Bexar Archives Online - Briscoe Center for American HistoryAccess to digital versions of 1,900 original documents from the Bexar Archives, from 1717 to 1784, many accompanied by English translations. Documents from later periods will be added as time goes on.
- CalisphereDigitized materials submitted by archives across California, includes materials about WWII.
- Center for Mexican American Studies and Research Special Collections - Our Lady of the Lake University - Research CollectionsHistoric documents and information that include the Spanish Colonial Missions Collection, the María Antonietta Berriozábal Collection, the Mexican American Collection, among others. Make an appointment with OLLU library staff to see items in person.
- City of San Antonio Digital CollectionsDigitized by city archives the collection includes city council books, audio recordings, and maps.
- Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library - DRTThis archival collection contains approximately 38,000 non-circulating items, including documents, books, maps, letters and other artifacts, pertaining to the Republic of Texas, history of Texas, San Antonio, and the Alamo.
- Dupee Mexican History Collection BroadsidesThe Dupee Collection offers nearly 200 broadsides published after the Mexican republic secured its independence in 1821. Chronicled within the broadsides are Mexican partisan politics, religious and anti-clerical debates, popular literature and drama, domestic revolutions and armed conflict with the United States. Most are Spanish-language sources written by Mexican citizens and published in Mexico.
- Elmer & Diane Powell Collection on Mexico and the Mexican RevolutionThis digital collection from SMU's DeGolyer Library contains many items related to the Mexican Revolution. The collection is particularly strong in photography.
- Franklin Lee Cleavenger Collection - University Library UTEPA digital collection of photographs from Chihuahua, Mexico during the Mexican Revolution era .
- Institute of Oral History and the Bracero History ArchiveThe Institute of Oral History was established in 1972 for the purpose of "preserving the history of the region adjacent to the Rio Grande both in the United States and in Mexico." Since that time, the Institute has built one of the largest border-related oral history collections in the United States. While an emphasis has been on the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez region, the collection also contains interviews dealing with the history of communities all along the U.S.-Mexico border. These materials cover a wide range of subjects, spanning social, economic, political, cultural and artistic concerns.
- José Guadalupe Posada Collection, circa 1875-1913Digitized broadsides, pamphlets, and prints by Mexican artist and printer José Guadalupe Posada. Subject matter includes stories, politics, religious events, and folklore. From Stanford Libraries digital collections.
- Laredo Archives Series - The Portal to Texas HistoryIndexes and summaries of items in the Laredo Archives, held by St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX.
- Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC)Source for finding material on Latin America on the Internet from University of Texas at Austin's Institute of Latin American Studies. Categorized by country or subject.
- The Mexican Revolution on the Border: Primary Sources from El PasoDigitized books, postcards, and other material dating from 1910-1919, related to the Mexican Revolution. From The Portal to Texas History.
- Mexican Revolution Photograph Collection - University Library UTEPA digital collection of photographs relating to the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920. Includes photographs of prominent figures of the period.
- Mexico: Photographs, Manuscripts, and ImprintsThis digital collection from SMU's DeGolyer Library contains many items related to the Mexican Revolution. Each item includes any information and details about Mexico and Mexican history that are available.
- Photographs from the Leonor Villegas de Magnón Papers146 photographs and postcards related to Leonor Villegas de Magnón’s personal life, political activism with the international relief service La Cruz Blanca (the White Cross), and the Mexican Revolution. Photographs highlight her pioneering work along the Mexico-Texas border as well as her relationships with fellow activists, participants of the Revolution, and friends and family. From the University of Houston Digital Library.
- Portal to Texas HistoryDigitized materials submitted by archives across Texas.
- Primeros Libros de las Américas: Impresos Americanos del Siglo XVI en las Bibliotecas del MundoA digital collection of the first books printed in the Americas (Mexico and Peru) before 1601. These monographs are very important because they represent the first printing in the New World and provide primary sources for scholarly studies in a variety of academic fields. Includes documents in Spanish, Huastec, Latin, Mixtec, Nahuatl, Otomi, Tarascan, and Zapotec.
- The Pronunciamiento in Independent Mexico 1821 - 1876Free online database that includes full transcriptions of over 1500 Spanish pronumciamientos. Often defined as 'revolt', the pronunciamiento was a written protest/petition, generally drafted as a list of grievances or demands, signed by a group of individuals and/or corporate body (high-ranking officers, town council officials, villagers, members of a particular garrison, Indian pueblo, etc.) that could result in an armed rebellion if the government did not attend to them.
- Sam Houston State University Digital CollectionsDigitized collections include Texas Military Oral History Collection, Bretenbach Mexican Mask Collection, SHSU history and more
- Taller de Gráfica Popular Prints and PostersThe Taller de Gráfica Popular (known as TGP) was founded 1937 by the talented Mexican artists Leopoldo Méndez, Luis Arenal, and Pablo O'Higgins. The TGP became the first self-supporting art workshop in Mexico to create and publish their own work. Their work had a variety of objectives; some overtly political, some comic, and some artistic. From Princeton University Digital Library.
- Texas State University Digital CollectionsDigital collections including a digitized edition of The Account and Commentaries of Governor Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca. Spanish conquistador Cabeza de Vaca was shipwrecked in 1528 on what is now Galveston Island and was the first European to explore what is now Texas and the Southwest. Also, a behind the scenes look at the making of the television miniseries Lonesome Dove and documents relating to the Branch Davidians of Waco.
- University of Texas at Austin Tarlton Law Library Digital CollectionsDigital collection includes text and images of Texas constitutions from 1824-1876, papers of Justice Tom C. Clark relating to some of the most important Supreme Court cases of the 20th century, description of the Justices of Texas from 1836-1986, and more.
- UTSA Digital CollectionsDigitized collections from the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) Library and the UTSA Libraries include Hemisfair '68, San Antonio Light photographs, San Antonio River Authority, Mexican manuscripts, UTSA history and much more.
- Wheelan Collection of Mexican Revolution PhotographsA collection of digitized photographs taken by John Davidson Wheelan, one of the many newspaper and magazine reporters and photographers who covered the Mexican Revolution. From Texas A&M University Libraries.
U. S. Government
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowComprehensive full image coverage of U.S. Congressional publications 1789-present, Updated daily. Hearings (1824-present); Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS) (1916-present); House and Senate Documents/Reports (1817-present); Legislative Histories (1969-current); Bills & Laws (1776-present); Vote Reports (1987-present); Historical Maps & Images (1789-2007); Congressional Record (daily and bound versions) (1789-present); Regulations; Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations; Presidential Executive Orders.
Member profiles, committee assignments, financial disclosure statements and voting records.
Foreign Relations
- Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) (ProQuest) This link opens in a new windowDNSA contains a wealth of declassified primary documents relating to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945 obtained through the U.S. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Divided into more than 50 collections on Cuba, Mexico, South and Central America, Afghanistan, the former Soviet Union, South Africa, Iran, China, Korea, Vietnam, and other areas. Documents include memos, diplomatic dispatches, meeting notes, independent reports, briefing papers, White House communications, emails, and confidential letters. Also see National Security Archive homepage for Unredacted (blog) and news postings.
- Foreign Relations of the United States - FRUS (1861-1988)The official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. Available in a web-based edition or downloadable e-book edition. Search within the volumes or browse them by administration. From the 1800s through the Reagan Administration. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
- Foreign Relations of the United States - FRUS E-book EditionsSelect FRUS volumes are available for download to read on a broad range of devices Department of State, Office of the Historian.
- Foreign Relations of the United States - FRUS (1861 - 1996)The digital facsimile of Foreign Relations of the United States is a project of the University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries in collaboration with the University of Illinois at Chicago Libraries. The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. The series is produced by the State Department's Office of the Historian; printed volumes are available from the Government Printing Office. FRUS begins with the administration of Abraham Lincoln in 1861. Many volumes published since 1945 are available online on the State Department website.
- Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) - Latin American Studies ProgramCFR's Latin America Studies program brings relevant issues to the forefront of research, public debate, and policy discussion on the opportunities and challenges facing the Western Hemisphere. It will stimulate public dialogue and contribute to a better understanding of how the United States might invest in constructive ties with the region. Current projects focus on Brazil, Mexico, Globalization and Democracy, and Cuba.
Archival Documents on Microfilm
Click on a title to read extensive content notes and check an item's availability.
- Nacogdoches Archives: Copies from Originals in the Texas State LibraryCall Number: F392 .N2 N2885Reel 1 - Reel 27
Finding Aid: Organization of Microfilm of the Nacogdoches Archives
F392 .N2 N2885 Index 1985
See the Information and Online Guide for details about the archive contents. - Collection of Typewritten Transcripts of Selected Documents from the Nacogdoches Archives from 1729-1843Call Number: F381 .T4 Reel 12
- Latin American Pamphlets from the Yale University Library: Selections from 1600-1900 byCall Number: F1408.25 .Y35 Guide 1988
- Latin American History and Culture: An Archival Record. Series 4, The Mexican Rare Monograph Collection, 1548-1861Call Number: F1229 .S88Reel 1 - Reel 269
See the Guide to the microfilm collection. - El Archivo de Hidalgo del ParralCall Number: CD3689 .P377Note: Years 1734, 1748, 1751 lacking.
Two indexes, one in English and one in Spanish. - U. S. Military Intelligence Reports: Mexico, 1919-1941Call Number: F1234 .U58 1919-41
- Mexico: Internal Affairs, 1940-1944. Part I: Political, Governmental, and National Defense Affairs (Confidential U.S. State Dept. Central Files) byCall Number: F1234 .C66 1940-44See the Guide for table of contents and index.
- Mexico: Internal Affairs, 1940-1944. Part II: Social, Economic, and Industrial Affairs (Confidential U.S. State Dept. Central Files) byCall Number: F1234 .C66 1940-44See the Guide for table of contents and index.