The collection includes annual reports, newsletters, trip and project reports, correspondence, news clippings, articles, meeting minutes, financial records, promotional materials, photographs, scrapbooks, and directories. The collection is divided into two series; one containing the Iowa-Yucatan Partners of the Americas records, which comprises the bulk of the collection, and the other series contains the national association's records which were shared with all state partnerships, such as memoranda, newsletters and reports. Correspondence between the Partners of the Americas and the Iowa Partnership is filed in the Iowa-Yucatan Partners records. Much of the Iowa-Yucatan Partners of the Americas records consist of correspondence, newletters and reports. Most of the records were produced by the Iowa-Yucatan Partners, but some materials from the partners in Yucatan are also included. The correspondence often covers issues such as upcoming programs, projects, exchanges, donations and fundraising efforts. Most of the correspondence is between Iowa Partner members, but also includes correspondence with the national association (Partners of the Americas), the Yucatan Partners and government officials. Jeannette Westfall, at one time the secretary of the Iowa-Yucatan Partners, was very active in the early years of the organization and her correspondence covers a wide variety of topics and issues. Meeting minutes, newsletters and project reports contain summaries of the projects and activities of the organization and its committees, as well as concerns, issues and future goals. Descriptions of the partnership and its activities can also be found in the newspaper articles and scrapbooks. Newpaper articles arefrom both Yucatan and American newspapers. In addition to the project reports and summaries found in the Iowa-Yucatan, the national association's annual reports are also a good summary source on each state partnership's yearly activities. The bulk of the materials in the collection covers the early history of the organization through the 1980s. Materials from the 25th Anniversary of the Iowa-Yucatan Partners contain historical accounts of the first twenty-five years of the organization, in addition to materials from the 25th Anniversary Committee which include correspondence, planning materials and meeting minutes. Folders in Box 1 containing background and general information include documents on the early history of the organization, and meeting minutes from as early as 1965 are also in the collection. Some materials are in Spanish, such as correspondence, articles and reports from the Yucatan peninsula. For a related collection see the Promise, Inc. Records (MS-585).
