This page is a starting point for finding autobiographical material (diaries, memoirs, autobiographies, journals, letters, correspondence, and more) by people living in or traveling through Latin America. The texts linked here are suggestions and sit alongside links to even more material available through Boston College's O'Neill and Burns Libraries. The first texts are available in O'Neill to be checked out. The material listed in the "Burns Box" is part of our special collections and must be read in Burns Library.
You can use Boston College Libraries' catalog to search for Latin American autobiographical materials.
If you want to search broadly, keep in mind that "Latin America" includes multiple states. If you want to cast a wide net, try:
Peru OR Venezuela OR Chile OR Guatemala OR Ecuador OR Cuba OR Bolivia OR Haiti OR “Dominican Republic” OR Honduras OR Paraguay OR El Salvador OR Nicaragua OR “Costa Rica” OR Panama OR “Puerto Rico” OR Uruguay OR Guadeloupe OR Martinique OR “French Guiana” OR “Saint Martin” “Saint Barthelemy” OR Mexico OR “South America” OR “Latin America”
To search for material, try looking for:
memoir* OR diar* OR autobiography OR letters OR correspondence OR journal* OR "description and travel"
You can take a look at what an advanced search using those search strings looks like through this link to our catalog's advanced search page.
Letters from the New World : selected correspondence of don Diego de Vargas to his family, 1675-1706 by 
Two hearts, one soul : the correspondence of the Condesa de Galve, 1688-96 by 
History of a Voyage to the Land of Brazil by 
Personal Narrative of a Journey to the Equinoctial Regions of the New Continent by 
Impressions of Cuba in the Nineteenth Century by 
Travels in Mexico and California by 
Little School: Tales of disappearance and survival by 
Dancing with Cuba: a memoir of the revolution by 
The motorcycle diaries : a journey around South America by 
Days and Nights of Love and War by 
The battle of Tomochic : memoirs of a second lieutenant by 
Oblivion: A Memoir by 
Pinochet and Me: a Chilean anti-memoir by 
The Cloud Forest: a chronicle of the South American wilderness by 
In our very own special collections library (Burns), you'll find a selection of material on your topic. Consider visiting the library and seeing history in your hands. To do so, you should start by searching for material through BC Libraries' catalog and then ordering it (if you haven't registered, you'll be prompted). For a guide on the process, check out the "Finding Burns Material" page. You might also check out the following recommendations:
To search Burns materials for memoirs, diaries, journals, and other autobiographical materials either from or about the diverse Latin American states, in the library catalog. We recommend pulling the search phrases near the top of the page for more than 200 results. Examples:
Moll Herman, A New & Exact Map of the Coast, Countries and Islands Within Ye Limits of Ye South Sea Company, from Ye River Aranoca to Terra Del Fuego, and from Thence Through Ye South Sea, to Ye North Part of California &c. with a View of the General and Coasting Trade-Winds and Perticular Draughts of the Most Important Bays, Ports &c., Map (London, 1711), Library of Congress.
