The population of New York City is approaching the milestone of being one-third Hispanic, a demographic transformation that will have a huge impact on the city's culture, daily life and its very future. This marks a new phase in New York's relations to the Hispanic world, as Latino cultures and the Spanish language become an ubiquitous and important presence in the city. The roots of this transformation run deep. The history of the city's ties to the Spanish-speaking world is as old as New Amsterdam itself, and is largely unknown. Accompanying a major exhibition organised by the New York Historical Society and El Museo del Barrio (an abbreviated version of which will travel through the United States), this groundbreaking, interdisciplinary publication will for the first time make visible these connections and the myriad ways in which they have shaped the city for more than four centuries.