The UCLA Latin American Institute’s Outreach Program offers professional development programs for K–12 educators on Latin American history, culture, and society.
During the 2026–27 academic year, the Latin American Institute will offer a year-long series exploring Latin America through food. The foods we associate with Latin America have long histories that connect different regions, communities, identities, and traditions. Their histories also tell us about Indigenous knowledge, migration, labor, the environment, and the movement of people and crops across borders.
The series will explore different regions of Latin America through foods that have shaped histories and cultures, from maize in Mesoamerica and sugar in the Caribbean to rice and African foodways in the Americas, bananas in Central America, and Indigenous food traditions in the Andes. The lectures will feature scholars working across these regions and topics. The series will provide educators with a deeper understanding of Latin America and resources for bringing these histories into their classrooms.
Cost: Free and open to the Public
Via Zoom