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Online Event: Exploring Hispanic, Indigenous and African Caribbean Roots

Join professional genealogist Irisneri Alicea Flores to explore how Indigenous Taíno, African, and Spanish histories intersect and are reflected in genealogical records and family histories. Registration is required. Zoom link will be emailed to registrants within 24 hours of the event start time. For more information, please contact 305-375-5572 or email specialcollections@mdpls.org. Ages 12 yrs.+

Presented by the Special Collections & Archives Division of the Miami-Dade Public Library System, located at the Main Library.

About the Program

Exploring Hispanic Genealogy & Indigenous and African Caribbean Roots is an engaging and educational presentation that introduces participants to the rich, complex history of Caribbean and Latin American ancestry. Led by genealogist Irisneri Alicea Flores, this program explores how Indigenous Taíno, African, and Spanish histories intersect and are reflected in genealogical records and family histories.

Attendees will learn how to begin tracing their roots using historical documents, oral histories, and DNA, while gaining a deeper understanding of Hispanic naming traditions, colonial record systems, and the unique challenges of uncovering Indigenous and African ancestry. The presentation also explores how cultural identity has been shaped across generations and offers practical resources and tools to genealogical research.

This program is ideal for anyone interested in family history, cultural heritage, or discovering ancestral connections within the Caribbean and broader Hispanic world.

About the Presenter

Irisneri Alicea Flores is a Professional Genealogist with a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University. In seeking her own family history, she discovered how empowering and healing reclaiming your own family history and reconnecting to your roots can be. For the first time, the grandmother she never met became real to her and she was able to meet her through the documents. She founded Descubre Tu Historia with the hopes of helping more people in her community to do the same. While she does help others by doing the research for them, she is also passionate about speaking and highlighting the resources that many are not aware of that are out there for free or for very little cost. Also, she shares her own tips on how to start research and how to navigate Hispanic documents.

About the Special Collections and Archives Division

The Miami-Dade Public Library System’s Special Collections & Archives Division preserves and provides access to rare and historically significant materials for the public and scholarly community. Its diverse holdings include the Helen Muir Florida Collection, the 16mm Film Collection, the Cuban Collection of Rare Books & Ephemera, the Genealogy Collection, and rare and antiquarian books dating back to the 17th century. The Division also manages the Library’s Permanent Art Collection, which features over 7,000 works displayed across library locations, and The Vasari Project, dedicated to documenting Miami-Dade County’s art history since 1945. Committed to accessibility, it offers materials for viewing and research both in person and online through the Digital Collection, which includes more than 40 freely accessible collections, featuring materials from the Library as well as contributions from outside collaborators and partner institutions. Spanning rare books, manuscripts, photographs, prints, paintings, sculptures, artifacts, audiovisual resources, and electronic media, these collections ensure that Miami-Dade County’s rich history, artistic legacy, and cultural heritage remain available to all.

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