Tulane University

New Orleans is often referred to in colloquial conversation as the northernmost city in Latin America and the Caribbean, but what are the actual connections between New Orleans and Latin America? How can we explore these connections in a multidisciplinary, global classroom? This curriculum brings together resources to address just these issues.

The combination of geography, history, and literature provide educators with ways to teach about longstanding connections between Latin America and the United States. Much of the southern United States, including New Orleans, was once a Spanish Colony, and that early connection has created long-lasting ties which affect the history, geography, architecture, and trade between these areas. You can see the physical ties between New Orleans and Latin America in the form of statues of important Latin American leaders throughout the city including Simon Bolivar (a gift from Venezuela), Benito Juarez (in honor of his residence in the city), and Francisco Morazan (a gift from Honduras and El Salvador). This curriculum aims not only to discuss the history of the close ties between these two areas but also to use these historical connections to make ties to current events. Discussions of historical trade and migration can be tied to instruction about current trade relations and migration between New Orleans and Latin America.

ACTIVITIES IN THIS UNIT

Geographic Connections: New Orleans and Latin America
Human Geography, World Geography

Migration: New Orleans and the Americas in the 1800s
World History, Human Geography, US History

New Orleans: Home to Exiled Latin American Revolutionaries
World History, Spanish, US History, English Language Arts

HOW TO USE THIS IN THE CLASSROOM

This unit is designed to be used by teachers of different subjects and grade levels to showcase the interdisciplinary nature of Latin American Studies and supports the promotion of Latin American Studies across disciplines. Each unit can be incorporated into your own teaching by utilizing other resources and/or working with colleagues to discuss the connections between New Orleans and Latin America in the classroom in an interdisciplinary fashion. Suggestions for additional resources and to extend the lesson are present at the end of each section.

PRIMARY RESEARCHERS

Denise Woltering-Vargas, Senior Program Manager
Tulane University, LA

Rachel A. Horowitz, Anthropologist
Tulane University, LA

UNITS

• Complete Curriculum