Central American Studies

Primary sources are "first-hand" information, sources as close as possible to the origin of the information or idea under study. Primary sources are contrasted with secondary sources, works that provide analysis, commentary, or criticism on the primary source.

• In art, literature, and cultural studies, primary sources include original creative works, such as paintings, architectural plans, music, poems, novels, movies, television shows, and even advertisements.
• In historical studies, primary sources include written works, recordings, or other sources of information from people who were participants or direct witnesses to the events in question. Examples of commonly used historical primary sources include government documents, memoirs, personal correspondence, oral histories, and contemporary newspaper accounts.
• In the sciences, primary sources are usually articles or data resulting directly from experiments, fieldwork, or clinical trials.

Note that the "primacy" of a source can be relative. In cases where original records were lost or a live performance was never recorded, a review or commentary from a third party may be the most primary source available.

For more information consult the research guide Primary Resources and Archives below.

• Aztec and Mayan codices - Visit UC Library Search and search by name of codex.
• Henry B. Nicholson papers, 1901-1995  (Collection 1863) -  Professional and research papers, and photographs, negatives, contact sheets and photocopies of Aztec art and sculpture
• Tulancingo (Hildago, Mexico) Manuscript Collection, 1567-1882  (Collection 2073) -  Manuscript documents in Spanish and Nahuatl from the town of Tulancingo (Hidalgo, Mexico).
• Byron McAfee Papers, ca. 1553-1964  (Collection 339) -  Original manuscripts in Nahuatl and Spanish from Mexico's colonial period
• Arthur J. O. Anderson papers, 1892-1998  (Collection 2133) -  Specialized in the Nahuatl language and best know for translation of the Aztec language Florentine Codex.