“Aguinaldos y villancicos, recetas, tradiciones de Navidad”—songs, recipes, and traditions of Christmas from the nineteen Spanish-speaking countries of Middle and South America, as well as from the one state that is officially bi-lingual, are included in this well-researched book. There is a wealth of Christmas music, much of it unknown to North Americans, with tunes and guitar chords, words and translations. And there are recipes from each country for holiday foods, ranging from simple beverages to complex tamales and desserts—from “gingebre” to “hallaca” and “tres leches.” Also included are customs and traditions from each of the countries, some common to all, others specific to place, all reflecting the joys of Christmas. An index, glossary, and extensive bibliography make this a valuable resource for readers of all interests. VIRGINIA NYLANDER EBINGER wass a retired music teacher and a teacher trainer, researcher, and author, with special interest in the Hispanic folklore of New Mexico. Among her other publications are “Niñez: Spanish Songs, Games and Stories of Childhood” and “De Colores.”

This volume showcases the songs, recipes, and traditions of Christmas from 19 Spanish-speaking countries of Middle and South America. An index, glossary, and extensive bibliography make this a valuable resource.

Originally published under title: Dictionary of Chicano folklore. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c2000.

This bilingual prayer booklet contains the original Novena de Aguinaldos text in Spanish and its' translation in English. The Novena de Aguinaldos is a very popular Christmas tradition in Colombia, South America. The author, Saribel Daza, grew up in the United States cherishing the Novena de Aguinaldos tradition that her parents brought with them from Colombia. The author translated the Novena de Aguinaldos into English so that, when prayed in the home with family and friends, both English and Spanish speakers could participate fully in the spiritual journey of Baby Jesus into their lives and hearts.

Recently revised to include the latest current events, this classic reference presents the historical, social, political, and cultural aspects of Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico, an island rich with culture and national pride, continues to inspire debate over its designation as a commonwealth of the United States. This updated edition of a popular encyclopedia captures important historical, social, political, and cultural developments of the oldest colony in the world, up to and including the region's current status in relation to the United States. The fascinating work is full of facts, figures, and narratives of the struggles, achievements, and creations of the Puerto Rican people. Essays highlight the area's economy, geography, religion, education, language, radio, television, social media, and films. A focus on the contributions of key historical figures showcase the stories of Ramon Power y Giralt, the first envoy to the Spanish Courts; and Juan Mari Brás, founder of the Puerto Rican Socialist Party, among others. The second edition features recent developments in the commonwealth, including the election of its first female governor, the introduction of the first sales tax, and the financial crisis that shut down schools.

Venezuelan music has remained largely unnoticed in the academic English literature. Boasting a tremendous wealth of traditions, it displays influences from the Spanish, indigenous, and enslaved African communities that populated the territory from the “conquest” on and offers a tremendous diversity of genres and styles that vary by region, occasion, time, and sometimes ethnic influences. This book presents critical discussions of some of these traditions in connection with the issue of identity. The discussions capture country and city life, illustrate foundational myths, bring secular traditions closer to Christianity, explore surviving cultural strategies, et cetera. They also analyze the interface between Venezuelan identity and European classical music. The book displays diversity of perspectives in terms of (a) subject matter, as it includes traditional and concert musics; (b) disciplines on which the inquiries are grounded, as it includes essays by scholars and artists from musicology, performance, composition, history, cultural history, and education; and (c) epistemological approaches, as it includes critical, historical, and ethnographic research.

Juan Bautista Plaza (1898-1965) was one of the most important musicians in the history of Venezuela. In addition to composing in a variety of genres and styles, he was the leading figure in Venezuelan music education and musicology at a time when his compatriots were seeking to solidify their cultural identity. Plaza's compositions in the emerging nationalist style and his efforts to improve musical institutions in his home country parallel the work of contemporaneous Latin American musicians including Carlos Chávez of Mexico, Amadeo Roldán of Cuba, and Camargo Guarnieri of Brazil. Plaza's life and music are little studied, and Labonville's ambitious book is the first in English to be based on his extensive writings and compositions. As these and other documents show, Plaza filled numerous roles in Venezuela's musical infrastructure including researcher, performer, teacher, composer, promoter, critic, chapel master, and director of national culture. Labonville examines Plaza's many roles in an attempt to assess how the nationalist spirit affected art music culture in Venezuela, and what changes it brought to Venezuela's musical landscape.

The Encyclopedia's coverage ranges from the Bahamas to Tierra del Fuego and from Baja California to Uruguay as it describes the extraordinarily rich and varied music of people from all the countries south of the Rio Grande river.

Al leer este libro, el lector emprenderá un viaje de descubrimiento en una zona cafetalera en lo profundo de la montaña, donde el pueblo más cercano está a 17 kilómetros de distancia. El autor nos revela una historia facinante de cómo es la vida en el cafetal. Por primera vez, podremos apreciar lo real de la existencia campesina, y el intricado proseso de las fi ncas, que no ha cambiado por siglos. Estas historias son verídicas y a través de ellas, se expondrán secretos de la montaña nunca antes divulgados en ningún libro. El autor nos habla con sinceridad, candor y en pleno lenguaje nativo y en ocasiones, desde un adorable punto de vista infantil. También por primera vez, la décima criolla es parte esencial que satura las historias con una emoción única.