Finding Biographical Information

World Biographical Information System includes full text of thousands of biographical dictionaries accessible by name of biographee. Largely online full text, partly microfiche or print. Includes the Archivo biografico de Espana, Portugal e Iberoamerica. More information.

Search HOLLIS Library Catalog for Subject contains: "Latin America" biography or [Country name] AND Subject contains:  biography

Available biographical dictionary coverage for Latin America is very uneven, so general and historical encyclopedias with biographical content for the various countries are especially useful.

Search HOLLIS Library Catalog for Subject contains: "Latin America"  or [Country name] AND Keywords anywhere Encyclopedias OR dictionaries OR Companion OR handbook*.

Indexes

Mundo Lo, Sara de. Index to Spanish American collective biography. Boston, Mass.: G.K. Hall, 1981-1985.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 1731.5
Contents: v. 1, The Andean countries; v. 2, Mexico; v. 3, The Central American and Caribbean countries; v. 4, The River Plate countries
--Essentially a bibliography of works of collective biography (including encyclopedias, anthologies, general and specialized histories, as well as biographical dictionaries and "who's who" type publications), with annotations and detailed contents notes, followed by an index of persons mentioned in the notes. In general, works containing information on fewer than 300 people are fully analyzed; more comprehensive works are not analyzed. Locates copies in U.S. and Canadian libraries.  Z1609.B6M86

Bibliography

Latin America and the Caribbean : a critical guide to research sources / edited by Paula H. Covington ; David Block ... [et al.], associate editors. New York : Greenwood Press, 1992. xvi, 924 p. Note:
--There is a list of biographical dictionaries on pp. 28-38.
Widener | RR 3653.8

A bibliography of the collective biography of Spanish America, by Josefina del Toro. University of Puerto Rico Bulletin. series ix-no. 1, 1938.
LOCATION: Widener: SA 998.2
LOCATION: Widener: WID-LC: Z1609.B6T6 
--A very useful annotated list of 488 works of collective biography, arranged by country with author index.

Collective Biography

Biographical dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean political leaders. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 1531. 5 
Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index

Biographical dictionary of Latin American historians and historiography, by Jack Ray Thomas. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984, 420 p.
Widener | WID-LC | F1409.8.A2 T48 1984

Dictionary of Caribbean and Afro-Latin American Biography. NY : Oxford University Press,  2016, 6 v.  Online
HOLLIS Record   Online Version

Dictionary of Hispanic biography. New York: Gale Research, c1996.
LOCATION: Widener: RR 1731

Latin American lives : selected biographies from the five-volume Encyclopedia of Latin American history and culture. New York : Macmillan Library Reference USA, 1998, 1189 p.
--About 3000 articles, with source lists. Includes persons from the pre-U.S. Spanish borderlands as well as Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean.  Appendix groups names by broad activity/occupation and lists women. Name/subject index.  Indexed in 160047 Biography and genealogy master index 160047. Full text in Spanish, Portuguese 280864 , and Latin American biographical archive.

Brief biographies of 300  persons are included in Notable Figures of Latin American History, Part III (pp. 422-553).  of James D. Henderson’s  A reference guide to Latin American history

Contemporary

Contemporary Hispanic biography : profiles from the  international Hispanic community.   Detroit : The Gale Group Inc., 2002-     
Widener | Harvard Depository | F1407 .C66x
--Biographies of mainly living persons with a few deceased individuals of continuing influence.  Three-four page articles include portraits, lists of works, and source lists of books, articles in popular periodicals and web sites.  No contact information.  Cumulative nationality, occupation, subject and biographee indexes --in each volume.  Persons in volumes 1-2: Latin America (71), U.S. (53), Spain (7).
Indexed in Biography and genealogy master index

Who's who in Latin America: government, politics, banking & industry
--Supplies biographical sketches for more than 2,000 leaders in 36 countries. Includes politicians, legislators, diplomats, bankers, economists, trade unionists, lawyers, writers and journalists, engineers, and religious, business, and military leaders. Entries are grouped by country. Personal name index. Diacritics lacking. Brazil section lists compound surnames under first, rather than last, element. Title varies, 1st ed., 1984; 2nd ed., 1989; 3rd ed., 1993; 4th and final ed., 1997.  Arranged by country with general index. Full text of 1993 ed. in Spanish, Portuguese 280864 , and Latin American biographical archive. For political figures, see also {i}Biographical dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean political leaders{/i}, 139655 (1988) which provides fewer but more detailed entries.

Earlier sources include:

Dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean biography, 1971/72. 286944  (1st ed. titled Dictionary of Caribbean biography, 1969/70).

Who's who in Latin America: a biographical dictionary of notable men and women of Latin America. (1st ed., 1935; 2nd ed., 1940; 3rd. ed., 1945-51.  3rd ed. in seven volumes by country; earlier eds. (1935, 1940) in one vol. with geographical index). Full text of 3rd ed. in Spanish, Portuguese 280864 , and Latin American biographical archive, and in Internet Archive: http://www.archive.org.

Who's who in Latin America: government, politics, banking & industry. 3rd ed.- New York, N.Y.: Norman Ross Pub., c1993-
LOCATION: Widener: RR 1531.10

Who’s who in Latin America : government, politics, banking & industry. [title varies]. NY: Norman Ross Pub., 1984-
Widener RR 1531.10 (4th ed., 1997; v.1: South America; v.2: Central America and the Caribbean)
Widener Harvard Depository JL957 .W47 (3rd ed.)
Widener WID-LC F 1407 .W47 1984x (1st ed. 1984)
--Entries are grouped by country with general index.

Biographical dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean political leaders, by edited by Robert J. Alexander. New York : Greenwood Press, 1988, 509 p.
Widener | RR1531.5

Dictionary of Latin American and Caribbean biography. London : Melrose Press, 1971/72.
Widener | SA 998.11

Who's who in Latin America : a biographical dictionary of notable men and women of Latin America / Founded in 1935 by Percy Alvin Martin. Edited by Ronald Hilton. . Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press.
Widener | SA 998.35.3 [3d ed., rev. and enl]
Widener WID-LC CT506 .W48 1971 (Reprint of 3rd ed. in 2 v.)
--(1st ed., 1935; 2nd ed., 1940; 3rd. ed., 1945-51. 3rd ed. in seven volumes by country; earlier eds. (1935, 1940) in one vol. with geographical index). Full text of 3rd ed. in Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American biographical archive, and in Internet Archive. 3rd ed.: v. 1. Mexico, v. 2. Central America, and Panama

• 1. Mexico
• 2. Central America, and Panama
• 3. Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela
• 4. Bolivia, Chile, and Peru
• 5. Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruquay
• 6. Brazil
• 7. Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Haiti