Membership in the NCCLA provides Latin Americanists with an important network of colleagues in the region; colleagues whose expertise includes anthropology, economics, fine arts and music, history, geography, political science, sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, and indigenous languages and cultures. In addition, attendance at the yearly Fall conference offers a chance to participate in a choice of multi-disciplinary sessions that deal with Latin American topics of immediate urgency as well as with subjects of more enduring significance.