Latino History

Laredo is a city at the crossroads of North American history. Founded by the Spanish in 1755, it has stood at the intersection of regional commerce since its earliest days. Now, John A. Adams, Jr. provides the first-ever panoramic business and economic history of Laredo. He traces the evolution of the region from its early days as a ranching center into the mid-20th century when Laredo had become what it remains today: a booming port of trade and a principle center of commerce and financial services on the southern border of the United States.

"La idea de salir a recorrer -y a contar- las grandes ciudades sudacas se me ocurrió cuando pensé que quería tratar de entender qué es hoy América Latina. Hace mucho que no lo intentamos y, en general, solemos conservar esa imagen rural, ecololó de una región que es, ahora mismo, la más urbana del mundo. Cuatro de cada cinco latinoamericanos viven en ciudades, pero no son ciudades como las que uno imagina cuando piensa en Barcelona o en París. Para saber cómo son -cómo es Latinoamérica- decidí volver a hacer eso que siempre me ha gustado hacer: ir, mirar, escuchar, pensar, contarlo."—Martín Caparrós.

Half-Cuban, half-Puerto Rican, Luis "DJ Disco Wiz" Cedeño is 100 percent Boogie Down Bronx. Born in the 60s, Wiz struggled in a turbulent and violent relationship with his alcoholic father while trying to protect his mother who was suffering from breast cancer. Raised in the 70s, Wiz learned the code of the streets while hustling with his crew, the East Side Boys.

Cabeza de Vaca's mode of transportation, afoot on portions of two continents in the early decades of the 16th century, fits one dictionary definition of the word "pedestrian". By no means, however, should the ancillary meanings of "commonplace" or "prosaic" be applied to the man or his remarkable adventures. Between 1528 and 1536, he trekked an estimated 2480 to 2640 miles of North American terrain from the Texas coast near Galveston Island to San Miguel de Culiacán near the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

Theodore Roosevelt was the president who changed America and molded it into the country that we know and love today. He was the man who took the Presidency to new heights and introduced new powers that were designed to tackle many of the pressing issues of the day.

Breve Historia de los Incas comienza presentándonos el origen incierto de los incas y su inicial jerarquía social para llevarnos a continuación a conocer la historia de los gobernantes del Curacazgo de Cusco, incluyendo algunos tan relevantes como Pachacútec, conocido como el Alejandro Magno de América del Sur. El audio libro no nos presenta un desarrollo lineal de la historia de los Incas, sino que la autora elige tratar el tema desde una perspectiva trasversal.

Chávez is one of the most divisive and controversial political figures in Latin American history. He has been in power since 1999 and is South America's longest serving head of state. The leader of the movement towards 21st century socialism, Chávez has sought to bring socialist reform to Venezuela through what he calls the Bolivarian Revolution. His goal has been to shift power from the nation's traditional oligarchy to the neglected poor.

For this striking, stripped-down account of youth immigration, Villalobos interviewed teens at various stages of the immigration process to illustrate their stories - the physical and emotional difficulties of their travels. He then changed certain elements of these stories in order to protect the children's identities. Each chapter brings forth the voice of one young immigrant's experience, from crossing the Mexican desert to gang violence to the freezers at ICE detention centers.

The book contains the translation in English and the original Latin text of De Bello Africo and a background taken from the second book of De Bello Civili, by Gaius Julius Caesar, which helps understanding the historical story.

Fidel Castro is one of the most influential and controversial men of the last 50 years, equally revered and reviled by people across the globe. To the West Castro has long been one of the prominent faces of Communism and the main reason Cuba has been ostracized by many liberal democracies, particularly the United States.

Los dos grandes imperios precolombinos del Nuevo Mundo, el azteca en México y el Inca en Perú, han caídos en manos hispanas, América ha dejado de ser una tierra de promesas. España ya es dueña y señora de enormes extensiones de tierra, de millones de súbditos indígenas y de inmensas remesas de oro y plata que regularmente llegan a sus costas desde el otro lado del océano. El sueño de Colón se ha cumplido espléndidamente.

This book will take you on a journey through the past, discovering the secrets of the Maya that have been lost to time. Explore the culture and traditions that have shaped the history of the Maya.

Neste texto selecionado do livro "Rio da Prata e Paraguai: Quadros Guerreiros", o historiador Moreira de Azevedo retrata a vitória brasileira na batalha de Monte Caseros, destacando a abertura da navegação no rio da Prata e os ajustes fronteiriços entre o Brasil e os Estados do Prata.

"Batendo orelha", de Simões Lopes Neto, é um conto compacto com ares de prosa poética, onde se intercalam as histórias de vida de um boi e de um homem. Já "Chasque do imperador", narrado pelo Cabo Blau Nunes, conta passagens de vida de Dom Pedro II ao tempo em que ele foi seu ordenança.

A batalha naval do Riachuelo está no foco deste texto selecionado do livro "Rio da Prata e Paraguai: Quadros Guerreiros", do historiador Moreira de Azevedo. Ele narra aqui o famoso combate de junho de 1865 junto arroio Riachuelo, afluente do rio Paraná, na Argentina, que foi um verdadeiro marco da vitória brasileira na Guerra do Paraguai.

"Já passou o tempo em que ninguém se atrevia a entrar em um hospital de doidos, receoso de penetrar em enxovias, em gaiolas de ferro, onde eram encarcerados os míseros, como se fossem feras." Retrato humano sensível e detalhado, este texto de Moreira de Azevedo, sobre a fundação do primeiro centro especializado em doenças mentais do Brasil, que deu primeiro passo para a humanização no tratamento dos pacientes: "se ali muitos não recuperam a razão, de muitos são minorados os sofrimentos".

Dentre as batalhas da Guerra do Paraguai, a de Tuiuti é tida como a mais sangrenta. Nesse texto selecionado do livro "Rio da Prata e Paraguai: Quadros Guerreiros", do historiador Moreira de Azevedo, o leitor toma conhecimento desse acontecimento que movimentou mais 55 mil homens no sudoeste do Paraguai, na região de Tuiuti, notória pelo terreno pantanoso, de difícil locomoção.

In The Life of Cicero, Plutarch details the priceless contributions Cicero made to Roman society. He translated the works of Greek philosophers into Latin, gained acclaim as an orator and lawyer, and was elected to office. Politics ultimately got the better of him, however, and his life ended in assassination while in exile. Cicero’s ideas live on through his body of work, but to learn about the man himself, Plutarch’s biography is an excellent starting point.

American Imperialism is a short work in which Schurz denounced the Spanish-American war and the United States’ acquisition of the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. He considered the war as a battle of conquest which violated the intent and principles of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Schurz believed that imperialism should remain the province of despotic European governments. Together with the other leaders of the American Anti-Imperialist League, such as Andrew Carnegie and Mark Twain, Schurz insisted that imperialism was incompatible with democracy.

Oscar Wilde was always willing to express his opinions on a wide variety of subjects, including his own writings. The following selection of letters was prepared and edited by his executor Robert Ross, who is best known for expurgating and publishing Wilde's last major work, De Profundis.