Which historical events were key to shaping Latino culture? This book provides coverage of the 50 most pivotal developments over 500 years that have shaped the Latino experience, offering primary sources, biographies of notable figures, and suggested readings for inquiry. Latinos-people of European, Indigenous, and African descent-have had a presence in North America long before the first British settlements arrived to the Eastern seaboard. The encounters between Spanish colonizers and the native peoples of the Americas initiated 500 years of a rich and vibrant history-an intermingled, cultural evolution that continues today in the 21st century. 50 Events that Shaped Latino History: An Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic is a valuable reference that provides a chronological overview of Latino/a history beginning with the indigenous populations of the Americas through the present day. It is divided into time period, such as Pre-Colonial Era to Spanish Empire, pre-1521-1810, and covers a variety of themes relevant to the time period, making it easy for the reader find information. The coverage offers readers background on critical events that have shaped Latino/a populations, revealed the conditions and experiences of Latinos, or highlighted their contributions to U.S. society. The text addresses events as varied as the U.S.-Mexican War to the rise of Latin jazz. The entries present a balance of political and cultural events, social developments, legal cases, and broader trends. Each entry has a chronology, a main narrative, biographies of notable figures, and suggested further readings, as well as one or more primary sources that offer additional context or information on the given event. These primary source materials offer readers additional insight via a first-hand account, original voices, or direct evidence on the subject matter. Offers scholarly analysis of critical events in Latino/a history while also providing in-depth primary sources, biographies, and evidence that provide additional historical perspective Represents an invaluable reference tool for students doing research papers, seeking accessibly written background information, or simply wanting to learn more about Latinos in the United States Written by expert contributors with specialties in a variety of key fields-media, politics, history, and popular culture Supplies breadth and depth on significant events that have shaped the Latino experience for the past five centuries

"Brown in the Windy City" is the first history to examine the migration and settlement of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans in postwar Chicago. Lilia Fernandez reveals how the two populations arrived in Chicago in the midst of tremendous social and economic change and, in spite of declining industrial employment and massive urban renewal projects, managed to carve out a geographic and racial place in one of America's great cities. Through their experiences in the city's central neighborhoods over the course of these three decades, Fernandez demonstrates how Mexicans and Puerto Ricans collectively articulated a distinct racial position in Chicago, one that was flexible and fluid, neither black nor white.