History of the Incas

Background Sources | Finding Books | Finding Articles | Finding Primary Sources | Websites

This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course.

Most of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock . To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access link in the upper-right hand corner and login.

Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian, via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question.

Dicionário do Brasil colonial, 1500-1808         Suzzallo/Allen Stacks - F2524 .D5216 2000 Enciclopedia de México         Suzzallo Reference - F1204 .E46 1998 Encyclopedia of Cuba: people, history, culture         Suzzallo Reference - F1754 .E53 2003 Encyclopedia of Latin American history and culture         Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference - F1406 .E53 1996 Encyclopedia of Mexico: history, society & culture         Suzzallo Reference - F1210 .E63 1997 Encyclopedia of Western colonialism since 1450 Historical dictionary of the Spanish Empire, 1402-1975         Suzzallo Reference - DP56 .H57 1992 The Oxford Encyclopedia of Mesoamerican Cultures

Finding Books

Use the following databases to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan.

UW Libraries Catalog A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries. Summit Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. Especially useful when the book you need is checked-out til December... Beta Catalog/WorldCat Local Beta version of the catalog that simultaneously searches the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit and libraries worldwide plus an article database. Best used for topical searches; facilitates requesting books from other libraries.

Finding Articles

Use research databases to find articles on a topic. Since most databases cover a specific subject area, choose those that best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the UW Libraries Homepage.

To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

Historical Abstracts This is the best database to find articles dealing with modern world history (1450 onward) excluding American and Canadian history. Handbook of Latin American Studies Index to articles and books dealing with all aspects of Latin American studies. HAPI Online Index to articles dealing with both Latin America and Latinos within the United States. Proquest Databases This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. Proquest includes newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Subsets included are Ethnic NewsWatch and Alt-Press Watch. For another similar database see Academic Search Premier. JSTOR Searchable collection of back issues of selected journals including the Hispanic American Historical Review, Hispania and the Journal of Latin American Studies. For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

Finding Primary Sources

The library has a limited number of primary sources for Latin America during the colonial period. Much of the material is in Spanish. Some early exploration accounts such as those by Cabeza de Vaca have been translated into English. In addition, for the later colonial period there are travel accounts and reports written by English and Americans.

In the UW Libraries Catalog: Limit your search by publication date. Search for books written by key people. Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, facsimiles Example: maya and facsimiles colombia and independence and sources cuba and diaries A 5-volume collection of translated early documents, New Iberian world: a documentary history of the discovery and settlement of Latin America to the early 17th century is available in Suzzallo Reference F1411 .I18 1984. British & American Sources For the later part of the colonial period you can begin to find some coverage of Latin America in the popular media of the day. American Periodical Series Online Index and full-text to 18th and 19th century American Magazines. Early American Newspapers, Series II Collection of more than 50 19th century newspapers. Early English Books Online (EEBO) EEBO is a full-image database of more than 80,000 works published between 1475 and 1700 in England and its colonies. Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) EECO is a fullimpage database of more than 200,000 works published in the 18th century. House of Commons Parliamentary Papers - 19th c. Fulltext collection of 19th century Parliamentary Papers. 18th century Sessional Papers are available in print [J301 .K625 1975a] Times Digital Archive (1785-1985) Digital version of the London newspaper. US Congressional Serial Set Full-text Senate and House reports, documents, and journals for the period 1817-1906.

Websites

For a comprehensive listing of websites dealing with all aspects of Latin America see the the Latin American Network Information Center.

Aztec Codices Brazilian Goverment Documents Caribbean Views The Codigo Brasiliense Guaman Poma Website Latin American Pamphlet Digital Collection Mexican-American War and the Media Mexico from Empire to Revolution (photographs) Paris Codex Portal de Archivos Españoles Precolumbian Portfolio: An Archive of Photographs Puerto Rico at the Dawn of the Modern Age

Image: Detail from a painting by Diego Rivera, Pre-Hispanic America, 1950. Complete image available through the CGFA.