About the Collection

Latino and Latina Collections at the University of North Texas document the diverse cultural history of Texas, Mexico and Latin America. This major collection initiative seeks to develop rich primary source documentation of the artistic, political, economic and cultural history of our university and our region.

The unique experiences of Latino and Latina communities in the American South and Southwest remain under-represented in archival collections. This archive fulfills a need in historical and cultural studies, supporting academic programs in Mexican-American studies, history, anthropology, and a variety of other disciplines. Our users include undergraduate students, faculty, visiting scholars, genealogists, local historians, community members, and documentary filmmakers.

Notable Collections

Guadalupe “Lupe” Arriola Campaign Papers

This collection contains documentation of the political campaign of Guadalupe “Lupe” Arriola for the Ft. Worth City Council in 2009. It includes campaign materials, campaign walk data, campaign maps, correspondence, financial records, receipts, news articles, a photograph, and books on political campaigns.

José L. Castillo Photograph Collection

Collection of documents and photographs taken in the early-mid 2000s by José L. Castillo that highlight political events in the Latino community, especially in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas.

Cuellar Family Papers

Adelaida Cuellar founded a small tamale stand in Kaufman, Texas that eventually grew to become El Chico restaurants. The Cuellar family papers documents this significant north Texas family as well as the evolution of “Tex-Mex” cuisine. Digitized materials from the Cuellar Family Papers are available on The Portal to Texas History.

Lorena Parlee Collection

Dr. Parlee was a professor of Mexican and Chicano history as well as an award-winning documentary filmmaker. Her collection includes research files and film compiled during the creation of her works including the IMAX film “Mexico” as well as the records of her business, Sol Films. Digitized materials from the Lorena Parlee Collection are available on The Portal to Texas History.

The Raza Chronicles

The Raza Chronicles is an on-going oral history project, started in 2012, which documents the experience of Latino and Chicano students at UNT.

G. Roland Vela Papers

Dr. Vela was the first Latino professor to be awarded tenure at UNT and one of the first Mexican-American microbiologists in the country. His papers include research notes, professional papers and correspondence.