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Latin American Ephemera Pictorial Collection

 Collection
Identifier: PICT-2012-002

Scope and Content

The Latin American Ephemera Pictorial Collection is comprised of ephemera (slides, political posters, lithographic cards, and political caricatures) from Latin America.

Series 1: Mexican health, safety, and hygiene posters (1957)

Contains 19 color posters from 1957. 16 of the posters comprise the series “Perico Flaco y Decolorido," published by the Secretaria de Educacion Publica. 3 posters are part of another series characterizing work safety whose publisher is unknown.

Series 2: Puerto Rican Medina caricatures (1970s)

Contains 19 political caricatures on political and social themes from Puerto Rico, dating to the early 1970s. The cartoons were done by Miche Medina for El Mundo, a San Juan newspaper. Medina was one of Puerto Rico’s leading graphic artists.

Series 3: Political movements of Nicaragua and Grenada (1980s)

Contains 53 slides depicting signs, graffiti, and markers related to the Sandinista Movement and the Luiza Amanda Espinosa Nicaraguan Women’s Association in Nicaragua, as well as 48 slides of signs, graffiti, and protests related to Grenada’s New Jewel Movement and National Women’s Organization.

Series 4: Mexican Loteria cards (1860s)

Contains 24 nineteenth century alphabetic Loteria cards of lithographic images with refrains. The lithographs may be by Iriarte and are likely from the 1860s. The Loteria game is a Mexican game of chance.

Series 5: Street art posters (2000s)

Contains 10 posters created by Toxicómano, Lesivo Bestial, Dead Bird, and Normada from Colombia, and Rodez (RZ5) from Argentina.

Series 6: CREFAL posters (circa 1950s)

Contains 13 Mexican public health posters mostly warning against the dangers of alcoholism.

CREFAL stands for "Centro de Cooperación Regional para la Educación de Adultos en América Latina y el Caribe," or Regional Cooperation Center for Adult Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. CREFAL has served Latin America since 1951, when it was founded on the the momentum of UNESCO and OAS. Since 1990, CREFAL has worked in an autonomous way, with the participation of twelve Latin American countries that comprise it. CREFAL specializes in the development of models and proposals for learning throughout life to provide teachers and educational authorities with specialized knowledge to help strengthen their work. CREFAL has important links with governments, educational institutions, and other international organizations in Latin America, so it has access to a wide variety of experts and resources in a variety of fields related to education, public policy, and adult learning. These elements help CREFAL to address current and future needs in adult education in order to prevent educational gaps that contribute to poverty alleviation.

These posters were created by the Taller de Gráfica CREFAL, the graphic workshop, located in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico.

Source: "About CREFAL." CREFAL. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 June 2014.

Series 7: Assorted political posters (1977-1990s)

Contains 70 posters created by various organizations promoting political and cultural events, and revolutionary ideals in Latin America. Folder 4 contain 18 posters from Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Spain. Folder 5 contains 22 political and cultural posters from the 1990s. The majority of these are from Chile with a few from Nicaragua and the United States, and one poster from Cuba. Most are political posters (political prisoners, political intervention, revolution, role of women) and others are cultural posters (Violeta Parra and Ruben Blades’ concerts). These were donated by UNM history professor Elizabeth Hutchison in September 2015. A 2018 addition to folder 5 includes 7 political broadsides from Brazil, and 2 more were added in 2019. A 2019 addition in folder 8 includes 16 Cuban posters and silkscreens, many expressing solidarity with the Vietnamese people. A further 2019 addition in folder 9 includes 7 Peruvian posters addressing agrarian reform in the 1970s.

Series 8: Miscellaneous (1951, 2000s)

Contains 2 Mexican serials, 1 flier, 2 posters, 12 loose postcards, 8 art book jackets notable for their design, and a collection of postcards in a four-flap enclosure,"White Christmas Revisited," by Antonio Martorell produced for the Exposition de Antonio Martorell y sus amigos in San Juan, PR, 2015. Also present is a poster titled "History of New Mexico Economy from 1620-2020."

Series 9: Una mirada solidaria con las comunidades Zapatistas (2010)

Contains set of 7 silkscreen prints about the Zapatista liberation movement, which focuses on freedom from capitalism. Created by Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional (Zapatista Army of National Liberation), a revolutionary leftist political and militant group based in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico.

Series 10: Uruguayan portraits and scenes (1890s-1904)

Contains 14 photographs, including several of Uruguayan political and military officials. All but two figures are identified.

Series 11: Latin American food and drink related materials (20th century)

Mexican photos and advertisements depicting cantinas, beverages, and hot sauce from the UNM Libraries' Inter-American foodways collection.

Materials may be added as acquired.

Series 12: Cuban book covers (1986-1991)

Contains 53 book covers from the Cuban publisher Editora Política, the official publishing house of the Cuban Communist Party. Editora Política “has published literary reprints, the works of the founders of Marxism and Leninism, the writings of revolutionaries such as Che Guevara, and the speeches of [Fidel] Castro. As a publishing house, Editora Política employs researchers, graphic artists, and advertising publicists… The collection of book covers at the University of New Mexico was designed at Editora Política during the economically turbulent times of the late 1980s and early 1990s and can be examined as art, as propaganda, and as a series of business decisions. During this time the Soviet Union and its European satellite states moved from communism to capitalism. Castro would make the decision to keep the Cuban Revolution on track.” (Moynahan and Pedersen, 56-57).

The covers provide evidence of the changing times in Cuba, changes in the economic and material resources available to artists and publishers, as well as changes in dominant ideology and national identity.

See article: Moynahan, Sharon A. and Wendy Louise Pedersen. “Judging a Book by Its Cover: Cover Art of Editora Políica.” In Trends and Traditions in Latin American and Caribbean History: Papers of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Seminar on the Acquisition of Latin American library Materials, Cornell University, June 1-4. Denise A. Hibay, ed.: 56-60. Austin, TX: SALALM Secretariat, Benson Latin American Collection, the General Libraries, the University of Texas at Austin, 2005.

Series 13: Murals in Chile (1988)

Contains 50 35mm slides of Chilean murals, related to the Plebscite of October 5, 1988. Most are photographed by Silvia Perez, and are from the series "La voz de los muros: Chile entre el si y el no."

Series 14: Mujer, se va la vida, compañera (1986)

Contains 70 color 35mm slides and cassette tape about Latin American women; "el audiovisuel aporta elementos para el analisis de la problematica qe enfrenta la mujer en nuestras socieda des latinomaricanas: opresion, marginacion, explotacion, de sorganizacion y bajo nivel de conciencis de su papel historico-politico." Copr. IMDEC, 1986.

Series 15: Mexican digital microfiction (2009-2013)

Contains 10 bookmark-size cards featuring scannable QR codes, each pointing to a downloadable illustrated story to be read on a cellular device in pdf format. Stories were originally published in the Revista Crisálida between 2009 and 2013. Authors are Diego R.O.M., Reyes Avendaño, Victoria Beltrán, A. Quintanar, Yimo Maciel C., Medina Castro, Aaron Luyando, R. Lizarraga, and Ángel Carlos Sánchez.

Dates

  • 1860s, 1956-2000s

Language of Materials

English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Copy Restrictions

Duplication of print and photographic material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for copyright compliance. For more information see the Photographs and Images Research Guide and contact the Pictorial Archivist.

Extent

502 items (2 boxes, 9 oversize folders) : 24 lithographic cards, 14 photographs, 19 caricatures, 221 slides, 111 posters, 7 silkscreen prints, 7 photos, 5 advertisements, 1 postcard, 3 misc. items, 61 book covers, 12 postcards, 7 broadsides, 10 bookmarks

Abstract

The Latin American Ephemera Pictorial Collection is comprised of ephemera (slides, political posters, lithographic cards, political caricatures, advertisements, bookmarks, photographs, book covers, and postcards) from Latin America.

Arrangement of the Collection

The materials in this collection have been organized into 12 series by subject:

Series 1: Mexican health, safety, and hygiene posters

Series 2: Puerto Rican Medina caricatures

Series 3: Political movements of Nicaragua and Grenada

Series 4: Mexican Loteria cards

Series 5: Street art posters

Series 6: CREFAL posters

Series 7: Assorted political posters

Series 8: Miscellaneous

Series 9: Una mirada solidaria con las comunidades Zapatistas

Series 10: Uruguayan portraits and scenes

Series 11: Latin American food and drink related materials

Series 12: Cuban book covers

Series 13: Murals in Chile

Series 14: Mujer, se va la vida, companera

Series 15: Mexican digital microfiction

Physical Location

B2. Boxes shelved by Pictorial Number. Oversize folders shelved in oversize drawers by Pictorial Number.

Images Available Online

Portions of the Latin American Ephemera Pictorial Collection are available online via New Mexico’s Digital Collections.

Related Material

Central American Political Ephemera Collection, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. Sam L. Slick Collection of Latin American, Caribbean, and Iberian Political Ephemera, Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.

Processing Information

This is an artificial collection compiled by the Center for Southwest Research with Latin American ephemera purchased from vendors.

Series 6 was purchased along with Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP) posters and given the number PICT 2000-005. The TGP posters were eventually integrated into PICT 2001-025. Consequently, the 13 CREFAL posters were numbered 2000-005-0024 to 2000-005-0037.

Series 7 is comprised of three accessions: 999-006 and 2000-005. 999-006 also contained TGP posters that were moved to 2001-025. Series 7 posters were originally numbered 2000-005-0001 to 2000-005-0011, 2000-005-0015, 999-006-0107, 999-006-0162, 999-006-0194, 999-006-0197 to 999-006-0199. In April 2018, 7 recently acquired broadsides were accessioned. In September 2019, 7 mounted Peruvian posters and 16 Cuban posters were added.

Series 8 contains 3 items originally numbered 999-006-0170, 999-006-0172, 999-006-0191, and June and September 2017 accessions.

Series 9 was accessioned in March 2015.

Series 10 was processed in March 2016; unprocessed item 2005-023 was added in December 2017.

Series 11 was processed in December 2018.

Series 12 was transferred from PICT 000-674 in July 2017.

Series 13 was originally accessioned as 2001-024 and processed in December 2017.

Series 14 was processed from LAII catalog backlog in September 2018.

Series 15 was processed from Mexican small press collection acquisitions backlog in May 2019.
Title
Finding Aid of the Latin American Ephemera Pictorial Collection, 1860s, 1956-2000s
Status
Edited Full Draft
Author
Clare Daniel
Date
© 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is in English
Sponsor
Funding provided by the University of New Mexico Libraries, Center for Regional Studies.

Revision Statements

  • Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
  • 9/14/2021: RMOA import review complete

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451