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National Hispanic Heritage Month

Written by Rich Vázquez

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Articles - Culture & Identity

(September 15 - October 15)

Hispanic Heritage Month evolved from a Congressional declaration of Hispanic Heritage week in 1968. It was to be celebrated during the week of September 15th and 16th, covering a wide number of Independence Days for Latin American countries. On September 15th, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua celebrate their independence. On September 16th, Mexico celebrates its independence. In 1988, the celebration of Hispanic heritage was officially extended to 31 days. Now it includes the independence of Chile on September 18th, and Día de la Raza (Columbus Day) on October 12th. The final holiday recognizes the first immigration of Hispanic ancestors from the Eastern Hemisphere (Europe/Africa/Asia) to the Americas.

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Our ancestors are a blend of those who have lived in the Americas for thousands of years and those who are just arriving. They were the Europeans who explored this land for European kings and queens. They were the indigenous people who fought to preserve their freedom. They were the Africans who were enslaved and the Asians and Middle Easterners who traveled as workers. Jews who had to hide their religion traveled with the Spanish and Portuguese for opportunities in America.

While the perceived image of a Hispanic is that of a Spaniard like Martin Sheen or Antonio Banderas, after 500 years you will find Hispanics who have dominant African blood like Sammy Sosa, dominant Asian blood like President Alberto Fujimori of Peru. You will also find Hispanics sharing other cultures like Shakira (Lebanese/Colombian) and Salma Hayek (Lebanese/Mexican). You will also find Hispanics continuing their Mayan, Aztec and other native tribal cultures throughout the Americas, like Benjamin Bratt (Quechua) or those behind the movie The Other Conquest. Four tribes in Arizona alone have tribal ties that cross the US-Mexico border. The broad term Hispanic stretches across more than 20 nations and several sub-cultures, so to try to list all of the influences is futile. The language and cultures are a direct result of the strong merging, not purging, of all of our ancestors.

The United States contains two of the oldest European colonial cities, both of them Spanish. One is the Spanish settlement of St. Augustine in Florida (1565); the other is San Juan, Puerto Rico (1508). Cuzco, Peru is the oldest continually inhabited city, dating back thousands of years. Jamestown (1607), the first English settlement wasn't established until a hundred years after San Juan. Hispanics have been instrumental in exploring and mapping this hemisphere for Europe. Many of our states were part of the Spanish or Mexican territories. These include California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana and Utah. Hispanics are often looked at as newcomers, but they were among the first here, both as indigenous people and as European immigrants. Many of the Hispanic families in the United States have resided in the same area for hundreds of years, retaining cultures older than the borders that define modern countries.

Hispanics have helped form the United States from the very beginning. Since the Revolutionary War they have aided the nation in every major war from outside and from within. Hispanics have recieved more Congressional Medals of Honor than any other identifiable ethnic group and have consistently recieved awards for heroism out of proportion to the actual population of Hispanics. Puerto Rico is the second-highest American jurisdiction in per capita war casualties. They have fought for almost 100 years despite their inability to vote for the Commander-In-Chief.

Hispanics have delivered American on-screen cultural icons like Sammy Davis Junior, and Raquel Welch. Sports icons have included Ted Williams, Sammy Sosa and Atanasio "Tony" Pérez and Roberto Clemente. Hispanic musical talents are formidable throughout American history, Tito Puente and current stars like Tatyana Ali and Mariah Carey representing only the tip of the iceberg. Several historians claim, over protests of other historians, that Walt Disney was born in Almeria, Spain as José Luís Giráo and later adopted by Elias Disney.

Enjoy this month-long celebration of one of the many great cultures that make up the United States and its influence on the United States from the bottom of Florida all the way up to Alaska. Sign up for our newsletter to stay updated when we add history, cultural and current event articles and links:

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