El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America

Hispanic peoples and cultures have shaped North America for 500 years, ever since Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed in what is today Florida in 1513. Gibson (Empire's Crossroads) delivers a timely reminder that Anglos are but one European wellspring of U.S. national identity. With insight and verve, the author weaves the myriad Hispanic/Latino influences on North American histories and cultures, addressing everything from immigration, wars, civil rights, tacos, and salsa, along with figures such as Fidel Castro and Cesar Chavez. She further recounts stories elided from public memory, chronicling mass lynchings of Mexicans in Texas; uprisings and bombings waged by Puerto Rican nationalists; and the history of Tampa's Ybor City neighborhood, home to Cuban émigrés long before Miami's Little Havana. Gibson contends that Anglos and Hispanics share the same centuries-old story of North America—a memory vital for our time of border walls and racist rhetoric. Few historians have attempted so sweeping and holistic a survey. Though Gibson can be more detailed about political events than the intersection of Anglo and Hispanic cultures, her evidence is clear: Latin America includes North America.