FIU Collection May Help Hispanics Trace Their Roots

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Hispanic families who find it difficult to trace their family tree because of a lack of documentation, or documentation they can't get their hands on, may now find help at Florida International University.

The university has obtained a collection of thousands of books, letters and other primary documents relating to Cuba and genealogy. There are genealogy books from North, Central and South America, as well as Spain, Italy, France and other European countries.

The documents were collected over four decades by Felix Enrique Hurtado de Mendoza.

Mendoza studied law at the University of Havana and worked for 20 years at the Organization of American States. He left Cuba in 1960.

Mendoza's niece says he long wanted to make the collection available to the community.

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