Research Guides: Spanish Conquest of the Americas: LAS/HIST/ANTH 2522: Find Primary Sources

Introduction: What are Primary Sources?

What are Primary Sources?

"Primary sources provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic or question under investigation."

- Source: Yale University. http://primarysources.yale.edu/

The definition of a primary sources varies by discipline, and includes historical letters and diaries, government documents, works of art and literature, data from a scientific experiment, findings from an archeological dig, and oral history recordings to name just a few examples. It is content which has not been analyzed or interpreted by scholars or researchers.

See this chart from Yale University for more examples of primary sources by academic discipline.

Primary Source Databases

The databases listed below contain primary source material and some secondary source essays and contextual information.

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America
Indigenous Histories and Cultures includes manuscripts, artwork, rare printed books, photographs, newspapers, original documents, maps, and travel journals from the earliest contact with European settlers up to the mid-twentieth century.
ARTstor
Note: ArtStor is now part of JSTOR. ArtStor users can still use their existing account on the JSTOR platform.
ARTstor contains images of art, architecture and archeology from a range of cultures and time periods, in European, American and Asian cultures.
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750 contains entries and a guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. It covers the history of European exploration as well as portrayals of Native American peoples. A range of subject areas are covered; from natural disasters to disease outbreaks and slavery.
Latin American Women Writers
Latin American Women Writers contains literature by Latin American women from the colonial period in the 17th century forward to the present. The database presents the works in their original languages and includes literary works, memoirs, letters, and essays.
Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century
Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History (formerly World Scholar: Latin America & the Caribbean) offer a range of content for the region from the 15th to 20th century, providing information about the indigenous peoples of the region, the Conquest (la Conquista), colonial rule, religion, struggles for independence, and political, economic, and social progress and issues in newly independent nations. The collections includes original manuscripts, signed letters, expedition records, reports, maps, diaries, descriptions of voyages, ephemera, and more.

Find Printed Primary Sources at Temple

Use the Library Search and enter keywords on your research topic.
Use the Genre filter at the left and limit to the terms Sources, Personal Narratives, Correspondence, or Diaries to limit to primary sources.
A sample subject heading for primary sources about the treatment of indigenous people in Latin America is: Indians, Treatment of — Latin America — History — Sources
Try the subject links in the records for any useful items you find. These will take you to additional primary sources on the same topic.