Wednesday, February 18, 2009 In 1577, Spain’s King Phillip II
ordered a comprehensive survey of the New World. Questionnaires
sent to Spain’s territories in the Americas requested
information about population, languages, terrain and vegetation.
Of the more than 200 hand-drawn responses, called the relaciones
geográficas, one-fifth reside in the Nettie Lee Benson Latin
American Collection at The University of Texas at Austin. The
relaciones geográficas are just a few of the many priceless
artifacts acquired by the library since its establishment in
1926. Today, the Benson Collection is the largest university
library of Latin American materials in North America, attracting
scholars and visitors from around the world and providing
essential support to the research and teaching of the Lozano
Long Institute of Latin American Studies. The collection’s
curators acquire and provide access to materials on Mexico,
Central and South America, the Caribbean and the Hispanic
presence in the United States. The delicate cond