Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage | Archives

In-house Archival Collections

  1. The GERALD POYO COLLECTION contains 12 reels microfilm of newspapers, books & others periodicals. It includes works by Javier F. Cisneros (1870, 1871), Miguel Angel Carbonell (1939), Gaspar Betancourt Cisneros (1849), José de Armas y Céspedes (1869), and copies of the Cuban periodical, La Revolución (1869, 1870, 1875, 1876).
  2. The JORGE BRANDON COLLECTION contains seven (7) audio cassette tapes, which include “El Coco que Habla” and interviews by Tato Laviera in Oct. 1992 at the New York Center for Puerto Rican Studies.
  3. The JOSEPH A. OTERO COLLECTION includes one (1) box of miscellaneous books, periodicals, programs and pamphlets.
  4. The KATHLEEN J. ALCALÁ COLLECTION contains three (3) books: Canciones de Antaño (n.d.), Sigrid Marries a Catholic (1954) and I Married a Priest (1955).
  5. The UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF) COLLECTION contains 65 reels of microfilm with Spanish language newspapers, “La Unión Martí‑Maceo” books and records, a selection 63 Reels microfilm (5 reels 35mm, 58 reels 16 mm film), a selection from the Tony Pizzo Collection, Círculo Cubano Records, El Porvenir Records, Centro Español de Tampa Records, and Centro Asturiano Records.
  6. The BERKELEY COLLECTION contains 230 reels of microfilm with the Leonor Smith Collection and photographs.
  7. The NICOLÁS KANELLOS COLLECTION contains 32 reels of microfilmed periodicals, including La Crónica, El Heraldo de México, La Prensa, Latin Times, and Chicano Studies.
  8. The HUNTER COLLEGE COLLECTION, CENTER FOR PUERTO RICAN STUDIES contains nine (9) reels of microfilmed photographs.
  9. The RECOVERING THE US HISPANIC LITERARY HERITAGE HISTORY COLLECTION contains miscellaneous correspondence, papers, photographs, newsletters, etc., documenting the history of the Recovery Program.
  10. SLIDES FOR PRESENTATIONS includes slides of various subjects, such as Leonor Villegas de Magnón, Jesús Colón, Bernardo Vega, Alberto O'Farrill, Julia de Burgos, the front pages of early twentieth-century Hispanic periodicals, and magazine and newspaper articles relating to the Recovery Program.
  11. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ARTE PÚBLICO PRESS FOR THE RECOVERY PROJECT contains photographs related to Arte Público Press and Recovering the US Hispanic Literary Heritage.
  12. The HOUSTON METROPOLITAN RESEARCH PAPERS (HMRC) COLLECTION contains various paper copies of Hispanic‑related materials (certificates, correspondence, photographs, etc.) located in the HMRC collections.
  13. The ELLIOT YOUNG COLLECTION contains materials collected by Elliot Young for his 1993 Grants-in-aid project, “Catarino Garza: A Late Nineteenth Century Texas Mexican Intellectual.”
  14. The ERASMO VANDO PAPERS include 53 personal photographs.
  15. The RECOVERY REFERENCE COLLECTION includes assorted manuscripts, books, periodicals and photos donated to or acquired through Arte Público Press.
  16. The KINGSVILLE COLLECTION includes three (3) reels of microfilm of the bilingual newspaper, Notas de Kingsville, from South Texas Archives, various from 1943 to 1960.
  17. GRANTS‑IN‑AID PROJECTS (1993) contains a list of authors/researchers and project titles funded through Recovery Grants-in-Aid. Authors/researchers include: Praxedis G. Guerrrero, Cida Chase, Nasario Garcia, Ward Albro, Jose E. Limon, Arturo Rosales, Messod Salama, Alexandra Sununu and Elliott Young.
  18. GRANTS‑IN‑AIDS PROJECTS (1994) contains a list of authors/researchers and project titles funded through Recovery Grants-in-Aid. Authors/researchers include: Marta Aponte-Alsina, Anselmo Arellano, Jose de la Isla, Virginia Escalante, Jose E. Limon, Jovita Gonzalez, Clara A. Lomas, Gregorio Martin and Gabriel Melendez.
  19. The JESÚS COLÓN COLLECTION contains 30 reels of microfilm of Pura Belpre papers, photographs of family, correspondence, biographical information, writings (1910-1968) and papers related to organizational activities.
  20. The MARÍA TERESA MÁRQUEZ COLLECTION contains nine (9) reels of microfilm of the materials collected for 1994 Grants-in-aid project “New Mexico WPA Writer’s Project,” including Spanish folksongs and poems, plays, folktales, Spanish legends and traditions, 16th century folksong, Native American legends, games, names and addresses of tale tellers, frontier tales, folk and Native American costumes, a list of New Mexican writers of New Mexico, Cowboy’s Dictionary and Cowboy songs.
  21. EL GRÁFICO COLLECTION contains three (3) reels of microfilm of the New York newspaper, El Gráfico, dating from 1927 to 1931.
  22. The CASA BAUTISTA DE EL PASO LIBRARY COLLECTION contains 123 reels of newspapers and bulletins, a copy of Adolfo Robleto’s Dramas y poemas para los días especiales and a copy of the 1917 article “Su historia” published in El Atalaya Bautista, El Paso, Texas.
  23. The PURA BELPRÉ COLLECTION includes seventeen (17) reels of microfilm of personal biographical information and correspondence.
  24. The RUTH M. REYNOLDS COLLECTION includes ten (10) reels of microfilm with biographical information, correspondence, court reports, and a list of individuals and organizations.
  25. THE PAPERS OF REV. EFRAÍN Z. BELLO contain eight (8) reels of microfilm with church bulletins from the Presbyterian Church of Houston, copies of El Observador (San Marcos, Texas) and copies of Nuestro Boletín (Kingsville, Texas).
  26. The GRACIANI MIRANDA ARCHILLA COLLECTION contains five (5) reels of microfilm with biographical information, articles from newspapers, and a book.
  27. EFRAÍN Z. BELLO SERMONS contains twelve (12) reels of microfilm with sermons delivered at the First Presbyterian Church in Houston.
  28. RECOVERY BOOKS, MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS includes Rubén Mendoza’s Herencia Mexicana. The Mexican Americans of Kern County. 1870‑1955,  La información (1999) from the “Chucho, el Roto” archive, an information flyer for Mission San Juan Bautista, the materials from the traveling exhibit “No Traveller Remains Untouched. Journeys and Transformations in the America Southwest” sponsored by The National Endowment for The Humanities and Southwest Texas State University, and  La Semana. Revista Literaria y Social (1927).
  29.    The PETER GARCIA COLLECTION contains letters as well at the manuscript, The Origin of Mission, Texas.
  30. MARIO DIAZ PIEDRA COLLECTION contains Décimas (Cuba 1955).
  31. FRANCISCO VAELLO LÓPEZ COLLECTION contains a book and novels published in the newspaper, Notas de Kingsville.
  32. REVISTAS CARACOL Y CALAVERAS contains the journals Caracol and Calaveras.
  33. ISLEÑO NARRATIVE contains the narrative by the same title.
  34. The MARÍA AMPARO RUIZ DE BURTON COLLECTION contains photographs.
  35. The PROVIDENCIA GARCIA COLLECTION contains newspaper clippings, photographs, and email correspondence between Providencia García and Nicolás Kanellos.
  36. The LUIS PÉREZ COLLECTION contains personal photographs.
  37. GRANTS-IN-AID PROJECTS (1995) contains a list of authors/researchers and project titles funded through Recovery Grants-in-Aid. Authors/researchers include: Maureen Ahem, Amy Doherty, Kenya Dworkin y Méndez, Martin Favata, Richard Flores, Francisco Lomelí, Eugene Lyon, Thomas Miller, Lisa Sánchez-González, Silvio Sirias, Bárbara de Marco, Margarite Fernández-Olmos, Harold Augenbraum, Janet Fireman, Deena González, Ivette López, Gabriel Meléndez, Gregorio Mora-Torres, Juan A. Sempere-Martínez, Omar Valerio Jiménez and Charles Weeks.
  38. The LUCY E. PARSONS COLLECTION includes speeches, a biography of Albert Parsons, proceedings from the founding Convention of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and lectures.
  39. The CANDY TORRES COLLECTION documents the life and work of one of the first US Latinas who worked at NASA as an engineer. This collection contains biographical material, audio, personal photographs and art, as well as personal photographs taken by Torres’ father, which document the family’s migration from Puerto Rico to New York.
  40. The EMILIO SARABIA COLLECTION contains correspondence, newspapers clippings, personal notes, pamphlets, flyers, publications, manuscripts and photographs of Houston landmarks that hold historic significance to the local Latino community. The Sarabia family was one of the first Mexican immigrant families to arrive in Houston.
  41. The ALONSO S. PERALES COLLECTION documents the life and work of Alonso S. Perales and, to a lesser degree, that of his wife, Marta Pérez de Perales. This collection contains photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, postcards and objects.
  42. The JAMES L. NOVARRO COLLECTION documents the life and work of Reverend James Novarro, a pastor of Houston’s Kashmere Baptist Temple and state chaplain of the Political Association of Spanish-speaking Organizations (P.A.S.O.). Rev. Novarro was a civil rights activist, LULAC member, editor of the Spanish-language newspaper El Sol, and host of the first Spanish-language and longest-running radio program, “La hora bautista.” This collection contains photographs, flyers, pamphlets, correspondence, newspaper clippings and programs.
  43. The DELIS NEGRÓN COLLECTION documents the life of the Puerto Rican writer and activist, Delis Negrón. This collection contains correspondence, writings, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, notes and photographs.
  44. The PORFIRIO NAVARRO COLLECTION contains correspondence, sketches, and art created by Private Porfirio Navarro during World War II.

Archives Housed at the UH Libraries Special Collections

The ALONSO S. PERALES PAPERS document the life and work of Alonso S. Perales and, to a lesser degree, that of his wife, Marta Pérez de Perales. The collection also contains the correspondence with Perales by noteworthy civil rights leaders as JT Canales, Dr. Carlos Castañeda, José Luz Saenz, Mauro Machado, George I. Sánchez and Adela Sloss de Vento. The Alonso S. Perales Papers also contain the organizational papers for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), Committee of One Hundred Citizens and League of Loyal Citizens and various other civil rights organizations. Perales’ journalism, essays, speeches and radio addresses are represented on hundreds of pages of typescript, at times with marginalia. His published materials include books, pamphlets and thousands of newspaper columns and letters to the editor. The collection also includes onionskin copies of typewritten letters from Perales to recipients, including community leaders, national and state politicians, and their typewritten letters responding to him. An extensive newspaper clipping file and full pages of newspapers from around Texas that carried his writing are also conserved in this collection. A particularly interesting chapter in the Perales documentation corresponds to his service as Consul for Nicaragua in San Antonio, during which he seems to have forged a strong relationship with Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza. Also included is a rich collection of personal and business photographs, many of which have been identified, and important memorabilia, such as awards, certificates and citations given to Mr. Perales.

The LEONOR VILLEGAS DE MAGNÓN PAPERS contains correspondence, manuscripts and manuscript notes, personal biographical documents, and newspaper clippings. Of particular interest is information about La Cruz Blanca, La unión de progreso y caridad and her autobiographical novels La rebelde and The lady was a rebel. The collection contains material dating from 1906–1980.

The HISPANIC THEATER COLLECTION, donated by Dr. Nicolás Kanellos, Director of Arte Público Press/Recovering the US Hispanic Heritage, includes posters, photographs and playbills documenting the origins and renaissance of contemporary Latino community theater.

The KANELLOS LATINO LITERARY MOVEMENT COLLECTION includes over 1,000 books with a wide range of topics and publication dates and were published in limited runs, are unpublished, or are important to the study of US Latino literature.