Princeton University Department of Spanish and Portuguese

09/11/2026

09/04/2026

The department kicked off the new academic year with our annual Welcome Back Reception at Palmer House!

Students, faculty, staff, visiting students, and campus partners came together to celebrate the start of the semester. Chair Christina Lee welcomed new and returning members of our community, while Javier Guerrero and Rubén Gallo shared remarks for undergraduate and graduate students.
https://spo.princeton.edu/news/spo-kicks-ay-2026-27-and-25th-anniversary-annual-welcome-back-reception

08/19/2026

SPO is turning 25 this year! (2001-2026)
We invite alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends of the department both on and off campus, to join the celebration by sharing a favorite memory, expressing gratitude to someone who made a difference, or share a hope the department's next 25 years.
Your input is what makes our department so special, and we look forward to celebrating with all of you.

07/16/2026

Professor Marina Brownlee's new book explores the power of curiosity. Read more on the SPO website.

Brownlee's book titled “Curiosity and Modernity in Early Modern Spain” was published in May 2026 by MDPI Books. Curiosity is the pursuit of knowledge by empirical means. And, while curiosity killed the cat and got Adam and Eve thrown out of the Garden, curiosity became perceived in the early mod...

07/13/2026

✨ Through the eyes of claire espinosa 傅 a glimpse into Princeton in Argentina’s journey to Jujuy. 🏔️💙

Day 1: Our guide, Ariel welcomed us to Jujuy, and in Tilcara, Amancay brought us to a market to buy ingredients and welcomed us to her home to make a pachamanca, cooking potatoes, chicken, fruits and vegetables with her team. We walked through the Pucará de Tilcara, a preserved pre-Inca fortification.

Day 2: We hiked through La Quebrada de las Señoritas, guided by Carolina, who taught us about the history of the Quebrada and sang us traditional songs. Ariel took us to El Cerro de 14 Colores (Las Serranías de Hornocal) for an breathtaking hike and view.

Day 3: Clarita and Hector Lamas’ family hosted us in Hornaditas and taught us how to make bread, showed us their alpacas and goats, and made us delicious humitas and quinoa empanadas. At the Tantanakuy cultural center in Humahuaca, Juan Cruz Torres and part of his band “Zencerro” showed us how to play the siku, and we watched films made in Humahuaca to honor local customs, legends, and religion.

Day 4: Drove to las Salinas Grandes. Another Ariel and his family hosted a unique picnic of empanadas on the salt flats, taught us how to mine salt, and spoke of foreign and domestic corporations overuse of the water supply and attempts to control salt mines.

A highlight was an exchange with students from an English teacher training program in Jujuy, where students learning English gave a presentation on Jujuy history and local traditions, from invasions to the cultural and religious importance of the Pachamama. We exchanged stories, words in Quechua, and taught each other our favorite dances.

Throughout the trip, Princeton students researched topics relating to Jujuy, from indigenous practices to lithium mining and local resistance, sharing knowledge researched online and from conversations directly from our local guides and people we met in Jujuy. By the end of the trip, we all left moved by our time in Jujuy, with an appreciation for our hosts and the local community, and individual desires to carry forward the lessons we learned to our own studies from medicine, to economics and internationa

07/01/2026

Incoming department chair Christina Lee named to endowed professorship
https://spo.princeton.edu/news/incoming-department-chair-christina-lee-named-endowed-professorship

05/25/2026

On May 25th, 2026 at 1:30pm, close to one hundred people gathered to celebrate SPO seniors, minors and prize winners in the beautiful Chancellor Green Rotunda!

Congratulations to the graduating seniors from the Department of Spanish & Portuguese: Julia Allison Carroll, Bruce A. Dienst, Zach C. Lee, Olivia W. McGoldrick, Ceci McWilliams, Tammy Yamile Leon Molina.

Students, family, friends, faculty, and staff were welcomed with opening remarks by department chair, Pedro Meira Monteiro who invited the minors to the podium to receive a gift from the department and say a few words. Professor Catalina Méndez Vallejo kicked off the recognition of our graduating seniors followed by Christina Lee, Rafael Cesar and Nicola Cooney who presented seniors with well-deserved corresponding prizes.

https://spo.princeton.edu/news/class-day-2026-spos-seniors-celebrated-and-prizes-awarded-scholarly-excellence

05/21/2026

SPO is on the Defense! 🎓🔥
Since the start of the year a total of six grad students have successfully defended and can now be called "Doctor(a) or Doutor(a)."
Congratulations to Catarina Oliviera, Ashford King, Daniel Persia,
Renee Congdon, Jonathan Romero and Julia Kornberg for a job well done!

05/11/2026

SPO seniors defended their theses on May 6th
https://spo.princeton.edu/news/spo-seniors-defended-their-theses-may-6th

05/01/2026

SPO celebrates year’s end and a legacy honoring Pedro Meira Monteiro
https://spo.princeton.edu/news/celebrating-year%E2%80%99s-end-and-chair%E2%80%99s-legacy-spo-honors-pedro-meira-monteiro