The Ibero-American Institute (IAI) houses 320 collections of papers and manuscripts of varying sizes, containing a range of materials, such as manuscripts, letters, postcards, telegrams, diaries, notebooks, invoices, letters of reference, photographs, archaeological plans and personal objects. Many of the items once belonged to German explorers and academics who researched and studied various topics related to Latin America. The majority of the material dates back to the first half of the 20th century. The image collections from the papers and manuscripts, whose importance for research in numerous disciplines has increased enormously, are listed in the IAI's Image Archive.

For more information on the papers and manuscripts, please click on the list in the left-hand column. It is also possible to search by keyword.

Thanks to the support of the German Research Foundation (DFG), over the last few years the IAI was able to formally index and catalog the papers of the political scientist Wolfgang Hirsch-Weber (1920-2004), the physical anthropologist and ethnologist Robert Lehmann-Nitsche (1872-1938), and the archaeologist Max Uhle (1856-1944). These materials can now be accessed in the online catalog.

Papers and Manuscripts in the Digital Collections IAI

Terms of use

The papers and manuscripts may only be viewed in the reading room of the Ibero-American Institute (IAI). To view the collections, please complete the application form.

Please submit a written request if you wish to make copies of materials for research purposes. Copies are subject to a charge and the IAI must hold the copyright to these materials.