Welcome

The Center for Latin American and Border Studies (CLABS) was created at New Mexico State University (NMSU) in 1979 after the receipt of generous grants from private and public sources. It is located in Las Cruces in southern New Mexico , less than an hour from the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juárez . The Center’s mission is to promote excellence in teaching, research and community outreach on issues concerning Latin America , the US-Mexico border and border studies in general. The Center works closely with the Center for Inter-American and Border Studies at University of Texas at El Paso and Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque as well as with other regional and border universities. The Center hosts lectures, workshops and conferences, supports outreach activities with local communities and schools, and promotes undergraduate and graduate courses in Latin American and Border Studies at NMSU. The center’s K-12 program includes the Border Teachers Network. We also provide an online news service regarding border issues, Frontera NorteSur.