From the Pre-Columbian era to the 2024 presidential election, the history of Latinos in the Americas is expansive.
Latino U.S.A.: A Cartoon History chronicles the rich and complicated story of Latinos spanning over five centuries.
Latino scholar Ilan Stavans collaborated with political comic strip artist Lalo Alcaraz on the book, now reissued for its 25th anniversary edition.
Stavans, the Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latin American and Latino Culture at Amherst College in Massachusetts, said at its core, the book aims to explore what makes Latinos who they are.
“Are we simply the sum of our parts?” he asked. “Are we Mexicans and Dominicans and Cubans and Puerto Ricans … separate lines living concurrent lives, or do we all belong to the same tradition? Do we have bridges that connect us?”
The book features recurring narrators — like a toucan, a maestra (teacher), and a calavera (skull).
Stavans said the characters serve as anchors to question history.
“The role of these characters is to invite the reader not to take anything that we are often given about the past by historians on face value,” he said. “The past is not there to be simply read. It’s there to be questioned.”
