Holds that most U.S. books about Central America neglect or misrepresent the role and presence of Black people in that area and presents information to fill this gap. (GC)

Conducted a case-control study to determine the magnitude of the problem of Latino patients who ingested rattlesnake capsules and then developed serious "Salmonella arizona" infections. Eighty-two percent of infected Latinos in 1986-87 who were questioned reported ingesting snake capsules. Discusses the association of ingesting snake…

Describes the historical approaches to the decipherment of ancient Maya writing. Asserts that Mayan hieroglyphics are recognized as true writing because they represent the sounds and structure of spoken language. Discusses the history of Maya hieroglyphic writing and how it was used in that civilization. (PRA)

Gives a brief history of Latin-American ofrendas, and describes the artistic and educational experiences related to organized ofrenda displays in various public settings in Florida in the early 1990s. Suggests guidelines for teaching about ofrendas and ways of respectfully participating in the cultural practices of others. (DSK)

Contains articles written by two former Frontiers of Justice participants about their experiences and reflections on the legacy message of the Church in El Salvador. Also includes a poem written by the Archbishop Oscar Romero, and an extensive bibliography of resources in English on the Church in El Salvador. (VWC)

The way in which economic and cultural trends have led cultural institutions to go away from grassroots constituencies toward better ones and multiple debates within the world of U.S. Latino/a culture and the arts is described. The debate over the El Museo, which in the larger context affected the categorization, promotion and exhibition of Latin…

Discusses three major genealogical classes of words in modern French including words inherited from Latin, words borrowed from other languages, and words created by various formative processes, as part of investigation to establish lexical structure of modern French in terms of the relationships which exist between certain fundamental properties…

These materials are designed to help students bridge the gaps in the news and their textbooks about the country of Haiti and to provide suggestions for further research. The following framework is suggested for studying Haiti today: (1) Haiti's current crisis is best understood in historical perspective; (2) the U.S. government has heavily…

This packet shares general impressions and interpretations of Mexico offered by a participant in a 5-week Fulbright-Hays Seminar. Included are suggestions on how to use this information to open up communication between the school and Mexican students and their parents. In addition to the background information and statistics, the material also has…

These lessons on Mexico have been taught in an integrated fashion within a sixth grade language arts and social studies classroom. Lessons are intended to be easy to pick up and use by any teacher. The material includes: (1) Rationale; (2) "Lesson 1 - I'll Bet You Can Map the Western Hemisphere in a Minute!"; (3) "Lesson 2 -…

In this brief study guide, the focus is on the "maroons," those Africans who bravely threw off the chains of slavery and established independent communities within colonial Latin America. The specific study is of the history and culture of Esmeraldas, a province in northwestern Ecuador and home to one of the most interesting maroon…

The studies presented in this volume help readers to understand the constraints faced in addressing the key problems within the Brazilian education system. Steps to address the issues and benefits to be gained by addressing those issues are discussed. Forty-two authors reiterate that the success of Brazil's education reform will have an important…

This bibliography was compiled to help solve the problem of finding a variety of books about Central and South America and the Caribbean Region for Hispanic sixth graders. The bibliography includes both nonfiction books appropriate for use in a social studies research component and fiction books appropriate for a reading program. One video is…

In this article, the author describes her book, "Amazing Maya Inventions You Can Build Yourself," a new book designed to help kids learn the history of the ancient Maya civilization. "Amazing Maya Inventions You Can Build Yourself" offers the reader an engaging exploration of the history and culture of the Maya through building and crafts projects…