Penn’s relationship with the countries of Latin America & the Caribbean stretches back nearly two centuries. In 1829, Joseph M. Urquiola from Cuba became the first Latino to receive a degree from Penn and in 1836, Auxencio Maria Pena became the first student from Venezuela to graduate from the Medical School. In the early 1900s, Penn faculty members conducted groundbreaking archaeological research in the region, and by the middle of the century, the University had become home to the first center outside of Washington, D.C. to provide intensive training in Latin American languages and area studies. Today, Penn students have a wealth of opportunities to engage with Latin America & the Caribbean both in the region and on campus, and faculty from across multiple disciplines are collaborating to produce innovative research on this vitally important part of the world.