Exhibit Case 3: Pan-Americanism: New Orleans and Latin America, 1930s-1960s
As New Orleans sought to consolidate its preeminence among Latin American nations as a favored destination for business and pleasure, city leaders continued promoting a brand of Pan-Americanism common at the time, namely, engagement through diplomatic, political, economic, and social means.
Case 3, a physical exhibit at The Latin American Library.
Contents
The texts below and images above left highlight the materials exhibited in Case 3.
Lucero Latino, 1933
F.E. Morales, director; M.J. Figueroa, asst. director
Latin American Publishing Company
New Orleans
A short-lived, illustrated monthly magazine featuring an eclectic mix of news and photos about Latin American political figures and popular Hollywood stars; serialized detective stories; practical advice, fashion, cartoons, popular articles on art, science and international affairs and other topics geared towards well-to-do Latin Americans. Based in New Orleans, the magazine also had business offices in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. One issue featured a photograph of Clark Gable engrossed in an issue of Lucero Latino. On the other end of the spectrum, the journal published some original and some reprinted poetry by Latin American literary giants like Rubén Darío, Amado Nervo, José María Heredia and José Santos Chocano.
Rare Books Collection
The Latin American Library
Pan-American Week in New Orleans, January 6, 1952
In 1952, Pan-American Life Insurance Company was an important presence in the business life of New Orleans. The company’s move to a new building at 2400 Canal Street was hailed as a major event in the city and was prominently featured in the local press. To inaugurate the new headquarters, the company hosted an international convention of 500 representatives and employees of PALIC subsidiaries and affiliates throughout Latin America, a veritable Pan-American week in New Orleans.
Dixie Roto Magazine
The Times Picayune
Pan-American Life Insurance Group Collection
The Latin American Library
El Tiempo de New Orleans, 1962-?
Inter-American Publishing Company
New Orleans
By the early 1960s, other Southern cities such Miami and Houston were vying for Latin American markets, ultimately displacing New Orleans as preferred destinations for business, travel, and medical care. In 1962, the editors of El Tiempo de Nueva Orleans, a local bilingual publication, were sounding the alarm (see the Timeline on the long gallery wall). The editorial above, titled “Stand Up, New Orleans!,” exhorts the Hispanic population to get involved in local politics to help spur the city onward and effect change and the rest of New Orleans to understand the importance of Latin America to the city.
Rare Newspaper Collection
The Latin American Library