LibGuides: Latin America: Home

Primary Source

How to read a primary source.

1. IDENTIFY the source - WHAT type of source is this?

2. WHY did the person who created the source do so?

3. What FACTUAL INFORMATION is conveyed in this source?

What OPINIONS are related in this source? - What is IMPLIED or conveyed unintentionally in the source?

4. ANALYZE the source - How does the creator of the source MAKE HIS OR HER POINT?

5. EVALUATE the source - How might OTHERS AT THE TIME have reacted to this source?

How does this source compare to SECONDARY SOURCE ACCOUNTS?

What do you BELIEVE and DISBELIEVE from this source?

World History Matters - Search here for Toussaint l’Ouverture
A resource center designed to help high school and college world history teachers and students locate, analyze, and learn from online primary sources and further their understanding of the complex nature of world history issues.
A letter by Bolivar
Archives: Father Miguel Hidalgo
Caste and Politics in the Struggle for Mexican Independence

ABC Clio
Use this database for great encyclopedia articles about Latin American Revolutions and a their leaders.
Gale - World History in Context
Excellent resource for all research

The World Factbook
The Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.
History of Latin America Britannica
History of the region from the pre-Columbian period and including colonization by the Spanish and Portuguese beginning in the 15th century, the 19th-century wars of independence, and developments to the end of World War II.