NIU Latino and Latin American Studies

NIU Latino and Latin American Studies The Center for Latino and Latin American Studies (CLLAS) at Northern Illinois University is an inter

Join the Latino Resource Center-NIU to celebrate the start of a new academic year and welcome Huskies to the Fall 2026 s...
08/31/2026

Join the Latino Resource Center-NIU to celebrate the start of a new academic year and welcome Huskies to the Fall 2026 semester! Latin Chill, will be on August 31 from 4-6pm at the Latino Center. This is where new and returning Huskies can connect, learn about our student organizations, resources, and enjoy being in community! We hope to see you there!

𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥 - 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔; 𝟒-𝟔𝐩𝐦 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫.
(𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧/𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭: 𝐇𝐒𝐂 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲)

Please note that the area of the Latin Chill will be next to the Latino Center on Newman Lane; this section of Newman Ln will be closed to traffic from 3pm-7pm

U.S. expands deportation of Mexican nationals to Honduras and GuatemalaThirty-five Mexicans deported from the United Sta...
08/31/2026

U.S. expands deportation of Mexican nationals to Honduras and Guatemala

Thirty-five Mexicans deported from the United States arrived in Honduras on Thursday, part of a recent shift in which U.S. authorities are increasingly sending Mexican nationals to Central America before their return home.

🔗https://bit.ly/45Xe3Of

(AP video shot by: Claudio Escalón)
Published 8:29 PM CDT, August 20, 2026

Guatemala has major sea turtle nesting grounds along its Pacific coast, where species like the Olive Ridley, Leatherback...
08/28/2026

Guatemala has major sea turtle nesting grounds along its Pacific coast, where species like the Olive Ridley, Leatherback, and Green turtle lay eggs. Popular coastal towns like Monterrico and El Paredón run hatcheries and public baby turtle releases, primarily peaking between July and December

In Guatemala, there are 6 of the 8 marine turtle species in the world. At a national level, they are recognized in the list of endangered species of Guatemala. Many international conventions have been created to reduce the threat of illegal trade of these endangered species.

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is one of the biggest marine turtles and one of the most nomadic. They can be found in the Mediterranean Sea as well as the Indian or Pacific ocean.

The black turtle (Chelonia mydas agassisi) can be seen on all American continent coasts. Its main nidation areas are the Galapagos islands and Michoacán beaches, Mexico.

The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) can mainly be found on the Caribbean coasts. There is no register of this species in Guatemala, but during the nesting season there are a maximum of 5,000 hawksbill sea turtles.

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is also a great traveller and can be found all over the globe.

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the biggest sea turtle in the world, weighing an average of 400 kg. Its main nesting areas are in Mexico and Costa Rica.

Finally the olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is the smallest sea turtle. They are mainly located in the Pacific coast of Mexico. In Guatemala, to encourage its protection, it’s the most controlled species.

https://terra-guatemala.com/blog/news/turtles-guatemala

https://turtlesurvival.org/species-spotlight-central-american-river-turtle/?srsltid=AfmBOor1k22j7PY3SiAJNpSC13v71U8HEAUL9wCh1AHyFHJ4TUNg44XM

https://www.anywhere.com/guatemala/attractions/tortugario-monterrico-national-reserve

Efraín Enrique Recinos Valenzuela (May 15, 1928 – October 2, 2011) was a Guatemalan contemporary architect, muralist, ur...
08/27/2026

Efraín Enrique Recinos Valenzuela (May 15, 1928 – October 2, 2011) was a Guatemalan contemporary architect, muralist, urbanist, painter and sculptor. Recinos' works adorn the facades and interiors of many of Guatemala's landmark buildings, being best known for his work in the National Theater of Guatemala. However, he is best known as the architect of the Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, which serves as the county's national theater and largest cultural complex, opened in 1978. Recinos designed the large, white structure set on a hill to resemble a jaguar, using inspiration from more traditional Mayan motifs. The government considers the theater as a National Heritage site.

Recinos painted the murals located in the Guatemalan National Music Conservatory. Other examples of his work can be found inside La Aurora International Airport and the National Mortgage building. The government of Guatemala awarded him the Order of the Quetzal, one of the country's highest honors for his artistic contributions during his career. Recinos was born in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, in 1928. He died at the Hospital Hermano Pedro in Guatemala City on October 2, 2011, at the age of 83. He had been treated for an ulcer.

https://cowlatinamerica.voices.wooster.edu/archive-item/efrain-enrique-recinos-may-15-1928-october-2-2011/

La novela El Señor Presidente se llamó primero Los mendigos políticos. Era un cuento que Miguel Ángel Asturias ya tenía ...
08/25/2026

La novela El Señor Presidente se llamó primero Los mendigos políticos. Era un cuento que Miguel Ángel Asturias ya tenía escrito cuando en 1923 partió de Guatemala para instalarse en Europa. Asturias había sido testigo desde muy joven de la situación de desigualdad entre las clases, de la explotación injusta del campesinado y de la sensación palpable del miedo a los horrores de las dictaduras, pero no comprendía aún las razones por las que tales circunstancias existían y cuál era la forma de conjurar la situación. Fue en Europa donde tomó conciencia de los valores escondidos en la cultura tradicional de los "hombres de maíz". Y fueron muchos los pasos que tuvo que dar en su larga preparación de ilustración universal, de confrontación de ideas y estilos, para que siguiendo el consejo que le diera Paul Valéry llegara a describir a su pueblo para ser universal. Así se produjo la larga gestación de El Señor Presidente, que por encima de su condición de novela-denuncia trasciende los ecos surgidos en la memoria colectiva a partir de la resonancia natural de las palabras, las fantasías oníricas asimiladas de manera gradual por la realidad de la vida.

Guatemala is touted as the birthplace of chocolate, with the Mayans worshipping the cacao tree and calling chocolate the...
08/21/2026

Guatemala is touted as the birthplace of chocolate, with the Mayans worshipping the cacao tree and calling chocolate the “food of the gods.” This ancient civilization also revered chocolate for its aphrodisiac qualities, with Moctezuma apparently consuming absurd amounts of the food to enhance his sexual stamina.

During the Mayan and Aztec periods chocolate was mainly consumed in drink form in the areas of Xoconochco and Suchitepequez. A metate or mealing stone was used to grind the cacao down into an edible form.

They liked it bitter and spicy, adding chilies and cornmeal to the fermented cacao pulp mixture and drinking up for health and vitality.

Even modern studies have shown cacao’s ability to reduce blood pressure, boost energy, act as a diuretic, and treat certain ailments like asthma, respiratory issues, so it shouldn’t be too surprising this ingredient has long been cherished.

https://epicureandculture.com/history-of-chocolate-guatemala/

Your fall semester needs this!Stop by outside the Latino Center and Center for Southeast Asian Studies on Thursday, Augu...
08/20/2026

Your fall semester needs this!

Stop by outside the Latino Center and Center for Southeast Asian Studies on Thursday, August 27, from Noon to 2:00 PM for the Interdisciplinary Centers Open House!

🌮 Free food
🎶 Music and live performances
🤝🏽 Real connections with faculty, staff, and fellow

Come see how an interdisciplinary major or minor can fit your goals. See you there!

Sara Curruchich (born 25 July 1993) is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter of Kaqchikel descent. She sings in both Spanish an...
08/20/2026

Sara Curruchich (born 25 July 1993) is a Guatemalan singer-songwriter of Kaqchikel descent. She sings in both Spanish and the Kaqchikel language, and is one of the first musicians to use the latter in popular music. She became well known in her country with her 2015 song "Ch'uti'xtän" ("Girl"). Since then, she has released two albums and multiple singles. Curruchich is also an activist in defense of women's and indigenous people's rights. For her work as an activist, she has won the MIAW Transformer Award at the 2021 MTV Millennial Awards, and been selected for the Ford Fellowship Foundation Global Fellowship Program.

Curruchich has stated that her biggest objective as a musician is to "share with girls and boys that we as Indigenous peoples exist" and that the history of indigenous peoples in Latin America does not revolve completely around the presence of Spanish colonists.

An adamant supporter of equal rights for women, especially indigenous women, Curruchich writes many songs about the experience of being discriminated against and mistreated for being a Kaqchikel woman. Outside of music, she is a collaborator with UN Women Guatemala, serving as an ambassador for their HeForShe movement, and has spoken out on violence against women.[23][24] Her time as an ambassador saw her visiting remote areas of Guatemala and performing for the people that live there.

Curruchich was the first person to win the MIAW Transformer Award, at the 2021 MTV Millennial Awards in Mexico City. She was recognized for her fight for Indigenous women's equality.

In interviews, Curruchich has denounced the occupation of land by multinational corporations, as well as the attacks on and killings of indigenous leaders who work to resist it

Join the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the CLAS Global Community Kickoff, an opportunity to connect with the ...
08/18/2026

Join the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the CLAS Global Community Kickoff, an opportunity to connect with the university’s global community. Learn about campus resources while networking with current international students, international alumni, and faculty whose teaching, research and professional work have an international focus. Undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty and staff are welcome.

September 9, 2026
11 am to 2:30 pm

Address

515 Garden Road
Dekalb, IL
60115

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Friday 8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+18157531531

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