Latinx heritage is missing from the national record. A community archive is filling the gap

The Abuelas Project, led by Latinos in Heritage Conservation, relaunches with 26 oral histories, 700 photographs and a growing archive to support preservation of Latinx historic places

NATIONAL — As Latinx communities across the United States continue to be excluded from official preservation efforts, a digital archive is building the evidence needed to recognize and protect the places that matter to them.

The Abuelas Project, led by Latinos in Heritage Conservation, is an award-winning national digital community library that documents Latinx heritage through oral histories, photographs, maps, and community-submitted materials. The archive includes 26 recorded stories, more than 700 images, and supporting records that will inform future preservation campaigns.

As part of the project, the Braceros Across the United States–Mexico Border StoryMap—an interactive digital platform that combines maps, narrative, and multimedia to tell place-based stories—recently won ESRI’s 2024 ArcGIS StoryMaps Competition in the Digital Humanities and Popular Culture category.

With more than 95,000 sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places, LHC’s Equity Study proved that fewer than 1% reflect Latinx history, even as Latinx communities make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population. The Abuelas Project helps fill this gap by collecting places often missing from traditional nomination processes, including firsthand testimony and local research.

“We created the Abuelas Project because our stories have too often been left out of the official record,” said Sehila Mota Casper, Executive Director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation. “But we are not waiting to be included. We are documenting and preserving these histories on our own terms.”

The archive, known as the people’s registry, is also designed to support communities working to nominate sites for protection. It brings crowdsourced sites and stories that matter to community, together materials such as interviews, visual documentation, and historical context that can help strengthen the case for formal recognition.

Abuelas Project by the numbers:

• 26 oral histories collected to date

• Over 40 hours of recorded interviews

• More than 700 photographs, including portraits, murals, signage, and buildings

• 7 published StoryMaps, an interactive digital platform that combines maps, narrative, and multimedia to tell place-based stories, with 7 more in development

• Over 100 hours of research and production per StoryMap

• 1 public artifact submitted so far, with a goal of one from every U.S. state and Puerto Rico

The archive was developed through fieldwork along Texas, Route 66, and across the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Interviews focus on migration, displacement, family memory, and neighborhood change. The collection also includes photographs, documents and the first publicly submitted artifact, a family photo from the late Congressman Grijalva’s household.

Each StoryMap is developed by a team of staff, fellows, and researchers trained in urban preservation, planning, geography, and history. The project combines oral history, spatial data, and archival research to support future nominations at the local, state, and federal level.

The archive is open to the public. Community members can submit stories, images, and other materials through an online portal.  All submissions are reviewed by LHC staff prior to publication.

“In some cases, sharing a story means exposing details that could put people or places at risk,” said Sehila Mota Casper. “We protect sensitive information because history should not come at the cost of someone’s safety or dignity.”

The Abuelas Project is designed to remain open-ended and will grow nationally. As more people contribute, it continues to expand, offering a growing record of Latinx history and cultural life rooted in firsthand experience and community knowledge.

To explore or contribute to the archive, visit: www.latinoheritage.us/abuelasproject

About LHC Latinos in Heritage Conservation (LHC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting historic preservation in Latinx communities. Through advocacy, education, and grantmaking, LHC empowers communities to protect places that matter. 

Media Contact:  Raffaela Hartman | Communications Manager | Latinos in Heritage Conservation  📞 +1 352-630-0640 | ✉️ raffaela@latinoheritage.us