The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and Mexico’s leading publishing house, Fondo de Cultura Económica (FCE), today opened Pórtico, the first Latin American bookstore in Washington, D.C. Located at IDB headquarters, 1350 New York Ave., NW, Pórtico will offer fiction and non-fiction titles in Spanish.
Pórtico operates under a partnership agreement between the IDB and FCE, which over the past 75 years has built a vast catalogue including major Latin American authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Carlos Fuentes, Octavio Paz, Jorge Luis Borges and Laura Esquivel.
The bookstore will offer books in Spanish from various publishers and DVDs of Latin American films. It will also feature IDB publications and the full range of FCE’s catalogue, which includes fiction and non-fiction titles, children’s books, scientific texts and works of general interest.
The IDB, the leading source of long-term lending for Latin America and the Caribbean, is also a resource for knowledge, technical expertise and policy advice on a broad array of topics related to development. Its publications cater to researchers, policymakers and readers interested in Latin American and Caribbean affairs.
The IDB publishes some 200 books and working papers a year, covering subjects such as macroeconomics, poverty reduction, government reform and trade. Its catalogue includes studies on other topics such as cities, energy, the environment, education, health and indigenous peoples.
FCE was founded in 1934 with the original purpose of giving Mexican students access to economics text books unavailable in Spanish. It rapidly expanded its catalogue, becoming a major publisher in Latin America. It has published close to 9,000 titles, of which 4,000 are currently in print.
FCE is present Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Peru, Spain and Venezuela. Pórtico is its first U.S. bookstore. FCE has also partnered with Lectorum-Scholastic to market and distribute books to libraries and schools in the United States.
Pórtico will be open Monday to Friday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The closest Metro stations are Metro Center (Red, Blue and Orange Lines) and McPherson Square (Blue and Orange Lines). Telephone: (202) 312-4186. Email: portico.sales@fceusa.com.