The University of New Mexico Department of Spanish and Portuguese

First student orientation of the summer. Welcome students! 🌞 🧑‍🎓

Congratulations Spanish and Portuguese class of 2026!!! You will be missed! 🎉🎓🎈🎉

As part of SPAN 481/681: Jugadas del poder: Teatro, ritual e imperio en la España temprano-moderna y en Abya Yala, students had the opportunity to bring early modern theater to life through performance.

The class presented, The Election of the Mayors of Daganzo, an entremés by Miguel de Cervantes, produced by Luz Elena Garcia Becerril, Leticia Fidalgo, Luciana Echeverria, Rebeca Matos, Citlaly Núñez, and Prof. McKnight.
Special appearances by Victor Candia and Estela Neri Aguilera as guest gypsies added a creative touch to the performance!

Spirit Day May 2026!!! Goodluck with finals!

The Department of Spanish & Portuguese on Tuesday, April 28, hosted 80 students and teachers from Highland High School for "Día Bilingüe". During the event, students attended an information session regarding SHL, SSL, and 300-level courses, practiced for their AP Spanish Literature exam, and visited some Spanish classes. They concluded the day with a conversation with professors and a Portuguese poetry reading. Additionally, the students visited the Lobo Welcome Center to learn more about the TRIO program.

The Spanish Series at UNM wrapped up the semester on Friday, May 1, with a presentation by Dr. Lilian Gorman, UNM alum. Her talk, “Honoring our Roots, Building our Future: Continued Presence, Continued Resistance, and Decolonial Possibilities in the Spanish as a Heritage Language Classroom,” offered meaningful reflections to close out the series. Thank you to everyone who joined us!

PhD graduate student, Himanshi Arora, presented at the 10th Chicago Graduate Conference in Hispanic, Luso-Brazilian, and Latinx Studies, “Inhumanidades: saberes, cuerpos y extracción,” held at the University of Illinois Chicago (April 30 - May 2).
Proud to see her contributing to these important conversations with fellow scholars!

Our SHL 1 class welcomed two incredible guest speakers while exploring the richness of Spanish dialects! On April 22, Dr. Damián Wilson shared insights on New Mexico Spanish, sparking great questions and connections. On April 29, graduate student Angelica Pita Castro introduced Colombian expressions—students loved it! Thank you to our speakers for highlighting the value and diversity of Spanish variation.

SPIRIT DAY! April 2026!!!
Final spirit day of the Spring 2026 semester is May 15th!!!!