History
History is key to understanding current events in Central America. See also the themes section for additional resources.
Guatemala
History of Guatemala | Country Profile | Guatemala Timeline | Teaching Resources
Nicaragua
Belize
Country Profile | Belize Timeline | Op-Ed | Teaching Resources
Costa Rica
More Resources
Central American Historical and Ancestral Society of California. This website showcases Central American related historical documents, artifacts, and photographs with a particular emphasis on the impact of Central Americans on California.
When We Were Young There Was a War. This interactive website enlightens and engages students as they learn about the armed conflicts and their aftermaths in El Salvador and Guatemala through the poignant personal stories of Central American adults revisiting their wartime childhoods.
Destiny’s Children: A Legacy of War and Gangs. Powerful photo essays by Donna DeCesare follow the lives of four young people and their families as they deal with the impact of war, gangs, and incarceration.
The Sandino Rebellion: A Documentary History. An open-access digital archive of the Sandino Rebellion in Nicaragua, 1927-1934.
Unfinished Sentences Testimony Archive. This archive is composed of oral histories shared by 48 people who were residents of the community of Arcatao, in the department of Chalatenango, El Salvador, during the period of the Salvadoran civil war.
When Corruption is the Operating System: The Case of Honduras. In some five dozen countries worldwide, corruption can no longer be understood as merely the iniquitous doings of individuals. Rather, it is the operating system of sophisticated networks that cross sectoral and national boundaries in their drive to maximize returns for their members. Honduras offers a prime example of such intertwined, or “integrated,” transnational kleptocratic networks.
Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen. Museum of the Word and the Image, MUPI, is a citizen initiative dedicated to the investigation, rescue, preservation and diffusion of the historical and cultural heritage of El Salvador. The University of Texas and the Museo de la Palabra y la Imagen (MUPI) have archived audio recordings of the historic guerilla radio program, Radio Venceremos, as well as MUPI’s own Tejiendo la Memoria program.
The Right to Grow Old: Honduran Displacement in Mexico. Honduran writer and photographer who documents the stories of Honduran migrants in their journey to the Mexico-U.S. border in an effort to show their humanity. Please note that some content contains violence and sensitive topics for mature audiences.