Managing the “Priceless Gift”: Debating Spanish Language Instruction in New Mexico and Puerto Rico, 1930-1950

Rosina Lozano

This article, completed during the fellowship year and recently published in the Western Historical Quarterly’s Fall 2013 edition examines the debates over language instruction in two locations with largely Spanish-speaking inhabitants. While Spanish persisted as a foreign language in the United States, its long presence in New Mexico and Puerto Rico provided the opportunity for native Spanish speakers to bolster their regional identity. New Mexico’s identity was as a leader valuable to hemispheric goodwill while Puerto Rico solidified a separate national identity. This article is part of a larger book project that examines the role of citizenship and the Spanish language in the Southwest.

About Rosina Lozano

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