Archives Information

The Archives of the Puerto Rican Diaspora, known as Centro Archives, collect, preserve and make available for research unique primary materials that document the history and culture of the Puerto Rican Diaspora with a concentration on New York City. The holdings include personal papers, records of organizations and institutions, photographic collections, broadsides, programs and ephemera. Among the collections are the records of civil rights organizations, the papers of activists, writers, artists, scholars, educators and elected officials. A highlight of the holdings is the extensive Records of the Office of the Government of Puerto Rico in the United States (OGPRUS).

Special features of the Archives include its photographic holdings documenting Puerto Rican life in the U.S. throughout the twentieth century; art prints/posters by artists from New York and Puerto Rico; sound recordings of Puerto Rican popular music. Databases for these collections are available at Centro Library and Archives.

Finding aids, guides to the collections, are available for processed collections and are online on the Centro web site. These guides provide historical and/or biographical information, as well as a description and detailed listing of a collection’s content. Inventories and/or databases are also available for otherwise unprocessed collections that are open for research. Information on archival holdings can be accessed through CUNY+ and other national databases.

What is an Archives? / ¿Qué es un archivo histórico?

Courtesy of the New York State Archives, The Electronic Schoolhouse / La Escuela Electrónica.

The Archives are open five days a week by appointment from 9 Am to 5 PM.

Please see Archives Collection Policy

For more information and appointments please contact:

Senior Archivist: Pedro Juan Hernández
(212) 772-5151
dhernand@hunter.cuny.edu