Latin America Links
James Hayes-Bohanan, Ph.D.
 Last revised: October 21, 2004
MANY MANY LINKS
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AltaVista provides free translation of web sites. You do not have to be intimidated by any of the resources below that happen to be in a language that you do not read. Use Babelfish language translator to view fairly decent English translations of web sites written in Spanish, Portuguese, and several other languages.
UDLA - P My first extended trip to Latin America (besides an overnight stay in Ensenada) was a summer in Mexico with my wife Pamela, mostly at the University of the Americas Puebla . We wrote about our trip in the Fall 1991 issue of Focus, the magazine of the American Geographical Society. I have copies in my office!
In 1996 and 2000, I spent much of my time in Brazil at UNIR , the Federal University of Rondônia. In 2000, we also spent a week in the lovely city of Recife , attending BRASA V . Visit Rondonia Net for all of my writings about the Amazon and for links to other Rondonia web resources. UNIR

I have collected these sites primarily for students in my Geography of Latin America class at Bridgewater State College. Others with interests in Latin America may also find these useful.

Resource Center of the Americas provides news and analysis regarding critical issues throughout the region. Its extensive database is searchable by topic and country.

The Washington Office on Latin America ( WOLA ) promotes human rights and democracy in Latin America, and conducts research on abuses, including those for which the United States government shares responsibility.

The Central Intelligence Agency Publications and Reports page includes links to authoritative reference material on all the countries of the world, plus reports on specific CIA-related activities, including some that are relevant to Latin America.

Your first stop for Latin American web surfing as well as serious research should be the Latin American Studies program at the University of Texas at Austin, which maintains a comprehensive lanic WW Virtual Library of links related to Latin America, organized by topic and country . Do not overlook the personal pages linked at the bottom. UT-Austin has a separate page of Brazil resources. 

I have been a member of the Latin American Studies Association since 1989.

The EZLN Page provides information on the Zapatista uprising and serves as a mouthpiece for the Zapatistas in cyberspace. The page is always growing, and well over one hundred thousand people from Mexico and elsewhere have used it as a resource. It has links to mant other sites relevant to the Zapatista struggle.

The Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) is an important tradition in Mexico, and one that strikes many North Americans as particularly unusual.
 
For an unabashedly radical perspectives on Latin America (and many other topics), go to ZNET , the online version of Z magazine. Yes, radicals do still exist, even in the Clinton (post-Clinton?) era. This very well-written magazine is for those who think The Nation has gotten too stodgy!

See the Pinochet Prosecution page at Human Rights Watch for news and background on the efforts to extradite and prosecute the former Chilean dictator.
 
More generally, see the Human Rights Watch Latin America page for the latest news on human-rights abuses throughout the region. HRW provides advocacy and research support to the brave grassroots activists throughout Latin America who are trying to end politically-motivated assassinations, torture, and disappearances. Citizens of the U.S. have a responsibility to become informed about these issues, because the crimes are sometimes committed on behalf of U.S. corporations or government interests. In particular, look on the site for the latest information about the so-called War on Drugs in Colombia and elsewhere.


Coffee Check out my Geography of Coffee page!

To gain a clear understanding of the various catastrophes that have befallen Central America, it is important to understand the role that U.S. government support of the United Fruit Company has played throughout the twentieth century. Fortunately, Dr. Marcelo Bucheli has brought this information together in the United Fruit History page.

Centroamerica - Ambiente The site Centroamerica Ecologia y Ambiente (Central America Ecology and Environment) presents research on Central American environmental matters in both English and Spanish. This site was recommended by a student in my GE196 course.

The book Pobreza y Medio Ambiente en America Latina is published by the Centro Interdisciplinario de Estudios sobre el Desarrollo Latinoamericano (CIEDLA) in Buenos Aires. It provides case studies of the link between poverty and the environment in seven Latin American countries. If you are interested in these topics, request the book from the library.

Viva Brazil! is a great gateway site for the country of Brazil. It is operated by Walter T. Morales. I like the site because it presents information about Brazil in a geographic format - organized by major regions and then by states. In some ways, I think his old site is even better!

IBGE is the Brazilian equivalent of a combined U.S. Census Bureau and Geological Survey. Its web site -- in Portuguese and English -- has a wealth of information about the country. If the information transfer is too slow, try the IBGE mirror site in the U.S.

BrazilMax "is designed for gringos who - for whatever reason - have a special interest in Brasil." It includes literary journalism, investigative reporting, literature, and scholarly research. It aims to be a cross between The New Yorker and the UTNE Reader for Brazil.

Scottish Geographer Kay Williams shares an interest in Brazil, and provides some useful links about two of my favorite aspects of the country: the Amazon and the cities.

Sociologist Ted Goertzel is an authority on Brazilian President Fernando Enrique Cardoso. His Brazil page is an essential guide to current national politics and economy in Brazil.