Conference of Latin Americanist Geographers

In 1963, the Association of American Geographers (AAG) inaugurated a Committee on Latin American Geography to encourage interaction among these regional specialists. To further this effort, a group of geographers attending the Ninth General Assembly of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History met on June 5, 1969, at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., at the invitation of Preston E. James. After considerable discussion, it concluded that the time was ripe for a national conference to share information and stimulate geographical research, teaching, and planning activities.

The group sought and received the support of three influential Latin Americanist geographers, Preston E. James (a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Committee on Geography), Arch C. Gerlach (president of the U.S. National Section of ...