Pablo M. Sierra Silva

Pablo M. Sierra Silva is an Associate Professor of History at the University of Rochester’s School of Arts & Sciences, specializing in African Diaspora, Latin American, and Atlantic History. He holds a PhD from UCLA (2013) and teaches courses on colonial Latin America, the African diaspora, and digital paleography. His research focuses on enslaved populations in colonial Mexico, Caribbean piracy’s impact, and Afro-indigenous interactions. Key works include Urban Slavery in Colonial Mexico (2018) and the bilingual documentary anthology Mexico, Slavery, Freedom (2024).

Education: PhD in History (UCLA, 2013), MA in History (UCLA, 2008), BA in History & Latin American Studies (University of Pennsylvania, 2006, summa cum laude).

Research emphasizes marginalized voices through archival deconstruction, including projects on the 1683 Veracruz pirate raid and digital mapping of colonial Cartagena’s foreigner registry. Awards include the NEH fellowship and Ferrari Humanities Research Award. He advises the Latin American, Caribbean, and LatinX Studies initiative and develops courses linking soccer history to social dynamics. Teaching highlights include digital paleography and interdisciplinary approaches to colonial studies.

Current projects include a monograph on the Veracruz diaspora and co-led databases tracking enslaved individuals in colonial Mexico. His work bridges primary-source pedagogy, digital humanities, and transnational slavery studies.