PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia delineates the contribution of women of Latin American birth or heritage to the economic and cultural development of what is today the United States. Beginning with the Coronado expedition of 1540 and the founding of St. Augustine in 1565, Spanish speaking women have left their imprints.

As native Americans, Latinas were present in this land when Plymouth Rock was just a pebble. The process of mestizaje-the blending of Spanish, African, and Indigenous peoples- is pivotal for Latinas/os in both the past and the present. As poet Aurora Levins Morales has aptly penned, "I am new. History made me. My first language was Spanglish. I was born at the crossroads and I am whole".

In the extant historical literature, women are mentioned here and there, but there exists no comprehensive survey text of Latina experiences that takes into account the diversity of cultures, races, regional histories, generations, and classes. Specialized monographs tend to focus only on one group and often, one coast. The editors of this encyclopedia Vicki L. Ruiz (University of California, Irvine) and Virginia Sanchez-Korrol (Brooklyn Collage) will pool their extensive knowledge of Latina / o history and draw on their professional networks to create the first expansive compendium of scholarship on Latinas. By 2010, Latinos will become the largest minority group in the U.S. and this encyclopedia will be serve as an essential reference work for decades to come.

Through the lens of six hundred entries (700,000 words), historical and literary narratives come to life. From mestizo settlement, pioneer life, and diasporic communities, the encyclopedia details women's contributions as settlers, comadres, and landowners; as organizers and nuns. Their experiences during and after EuroAmerican colonization and conquest of the Southwest are also explored in addition to the early nineteenth century migration of Puerto Ricans and Cubans. For the twentieth century, issues of migration, literature, cultural traditions, labor, gender roles, community organization, and politics are covered as well as individual biographical profiles of women who have left their marks on the historical landscape. Entries include women such as Puerto Rican feminist Luisa Capetillo; conservative New Mexican politician Concha Ortiz y Pino de Kleven; and Guatemalan labor and civil rights activist Luisa Moreno. Offering a mosaic of historical experiences, this encyclopedia focuses on how Latinas have shaped their own lives, cultures, and communities through mutual assistance and collective action while confronting the pressures of colonialism, racism, discrimination, sexism, and poverty.