Benson Latin American Collection

06/18/2026

Our University of Texas Libraries Branch Services manager, Dulce Aguilar-Garcia is ready for the World Cup! ⚽️🇲🇽

05/18/2026

Heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Albert A. Palacios, LLILAS Benson Digital Scholarship Coordinator, on winning a UT Libraries Excellence Award! This is the Libraries' highest honor, given to three staff members a year who make extraordinary contributions to the UT Libraries.

Melissa Guy, director of the Benson Latin American Collection, announced the award at a ceremony, describing Palacios as "an excellent colleague, ready to step up and lend a hand, engage in productive problem-solving, and recognize the contributions of others."

She praised him as "known for collaboration and thoughtful partnership across departments and institutions within UT, and across the globe."

He is truly a leader in the digital humanities, a key member of the LLILAS Benson partnership, and beloved by colleagues and students alike. Congratulations, Albert!

Benson Latin American Collection PCL and the UT Libraries School of Information - The University of Texas at Austin History Department - University of Texas at Austin

05/11/2026

New Exhibit Alert: Exploring Sixty Years of Literary Legacy

Now open at the University of Texas at Austin: "Texas to Chile: Dave Oliphant Across the Poetic Bridge."

This unique exhibit, housed in the Benson Latin American Collection, documents the prolific career of poet, critic, and translator Dave Oliphant. For six decades, Oliphant has served as a cultural bridge, bringing the avant-garde spirit of Chile to the heart of Texas.

Highlights include:
• Translations of seminal figures like Nicanor Parra and Enrique Lihn.
• Original verse reflecting Oliphant’s native Texas roots.
• A celebration of the combined legacy of Dave and his wife, María Isabel Jofré, and their profound impact on the UT Austin library landscape.

Whether you are a student of literature or a lover of Texas history, this is an exhibit you won’t want to miss.
When: April 17 – Sept 30, 2026
Where: Rare Books Reading Room, First Floor, Sid Richardson Hall (Unit 1), UT Austin.
Learn more about the intersection of Texas and Chilean traditions. See you here!

05/06/2026

Student-Led Discovery at the Benson

What happens when undergraduate historians dive into the archives? You get Revolutions and Constitutions: Nation-Building in the Americas after 1776.

This exhibition is the result of a unique collaboration between UT history students (guided by Professors Lina del Castillo and Cristina Soriano) and Benson curator Veronica Valarino. Together, they’ve unearthed rare documents that challenge simple narratives about independence.

Come see how student research has brought to light the complex legacies of liberty, citizenship, and persistent inequality that continue to shape our hemisphere today.

Featuring: Rare maps, manuscripts, and a companion digital exhibit by Benson Digital Scholarship Coordinator Albert Palacios.

🔗 Digital Exhibit: Polarizing Uncertainty in the Atlantic World around 1776 https://exhibits.lib.utexas.edu/spotlight/polarizing-uncertainty-1776?TSPD_101_R0=089fd1d2a5ab20000cbad4025fc2b659da391da680232116a93d322b4647cab614dbbcdddf5e12ea08d7846ad31430001ef3ca709262026618f8681fdf9c796b19375ebd85e4f0c2434325c65fe92c7703629f9d508cfcb57ca95c343fda289c

Visit us: Now through December 14, 2026 at the Benson Latin American Collection, Ann Hartness Reading Room, First Floor, Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 1, University of Texas at Austin.

#1776

05/03/2026

Sixty years of poetry, translation, and a bridge built across continents

We are honored to host "Texas to Chile: Dave Oliphant Across the Poetic Bridge" at the Benson Latin American Collection. This exhibit explores the incredible career of Dave Oliphant, a Texan native who became a vital link to the Chilean avant-garde.

From his original verse to his translations of Chilean seminal figures such as Nicanor Parra and Enrique Lihn, come witness a lifetime of literary history. The exhibit also pays a special tribute to the shared legacy of Dave and his wife, María Isabel Jofré, and their decades of dedication to UT Austin.

Location: Rare Books Reading Room (SRH 1), Benson Collection, UT Austin Dates: Now – Sept 30, 2026

05/01/2026

If you're in LA before August 23rd, check out the materials from our Gloria Evangelina Anzaldúa Papers at the Speaking in Tongues exhibition ICA LA (Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles)! https://www.theicala.org/en/exhibitions/666-speaking-in-tongues [image courtesy ICA LA]

04/29/2026

How did the ideals of 1776 echo from the halls of Philadelphia to the streets of Rio de Janeiro?
Our new exhibition, Revolutions and Constitutions: Nation-Building in the Americas after 1776, is now on view! Discover how the U.S., French, and Haitian Revolutions sparked a chain reaction that dismantled three global empires and reshaped the Atlantic world.
From Napoleon’s invasion of Spain to the unique rise of the Brazilian Empire, explore the rare maps and documents that trace the messy, radical, and interconnected birth of modern nations across the Americas.
When: Feb 27 – Dec 14, 2026
Where: the Benson Latin American Collection, Ann Hartness Reading Room, First Floor, Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 1, University of Texas at Austin.
🔗 Digital Exhibit: Polarizing Uncertainty in the Atlantic World around 1776 https://exhibits.lib.utexas.edu/spotlight/polarizing-uncertainty-1776?TSPD_101_R0=089fd1d2a5ab20000cbad4025fc2b659da391da680232116a93d322b4647cab614dbbcdddf5e12ea08d7846ad31430001ef3ca709262026618f8681fdf9c796b19375ebd85e4f0c2434325c65fe92c7703629f9d508cfcb57ca95c343fda289c
#1776

04/23/2026

The Benson Latin American Collection is pleased to announce that the exhibition Quilombo Visual, The Zumví Afro Photographic Archive, has been extended. Originally set to close this spring, this vital showcase will now remain open to the public through June 30, 2026.
This exhibition features the powerful work of the Zumví Afro Photographic Archive. Founded in 1990 by Afro-Bahian photographers, the collective has dedicated over three decades to documenting the social and political life of black communities in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The image featured in our poster from the archive, with its banners reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Nourishing the Sacred is Our Right," encapsulates the intersection of political activism and cultural affirmation that defines their work.
The archive, recently acquired by the Benson Collection, represents a vital effort to preserve collective memory and self-representation. We invite students, researchers, and the public to engage with this significant visual record, which stands as the largest public collection of Zumví photography in North America. By positioning the camera as a "visual quilombo," these artists offer an intimate and powerful perspective on Latin American identity and resistance.
Visit the exhibition on the second floor gallery of Sid Richardson Hall, Unit 1, on the University of Texas at Austin campus, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.
Weekdays from 9am to 5pm. Closing June 30, 2026.

04/13/2026

Reminder about this event, coming on Wednesday, April 15, to PCL 2.202. Also available via Zoom. Click the link for registration info.

Join us next Wednesday, April 15. Attend in person or virtually! Information here: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/llilas/events/digital-scholarship-in-the-americas-speaker-series-video-games-and-phone-apps-mdash-tools-for-collaborative-creative-and-critical-inquiry

PCL and the UT Libraries School of Information - The University of Texas at Austin

04/07/2026

Join us next Wednesday, April 15. Attend in person or virtually! Information here: https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/llilas/events/digital-scholarship-in-the-americas-speaker-series-video-games-and-phone-apps-mdash-tools-for-collaborative-creative-and-critical-inquiry

PCL and the UT Libraries School of Information - The University of Texas at Austin