Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15 to promote the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans.
Several Latin American independence days are celebrated during this time, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile. However, the celebration originated in September 1968, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an executive order for the creation of Hispanic Heritage Week. In 1988, the observance was extended to a month by President Ronald Reagan.
Check out our growing Spanish Translations collection.
Photo
The Incas, a Native American culture living in the Andes, developed wild potatoes into the kind of potato we eat today. The Spanish explorers brought these potatoes back with them to Spain in the...
Photo
Though many people think the potato is from Ireland, it is actually from South America. Wild potatoes can be found in the Andes Mountains. The Andes are in the Hispanic countries of Peru, Ecuador and...
Photo
In Mexico, the tortilla is served with most meals. It is a flat bread that is made of corn and eaten by itself or combined with other ingredients. In this painting by Mexican artist Diego Rivera, two...
Photo
Corn is the descendant of a wild grass called teosinte. Native Americans used special growing techniques to change teosinte into larger ears of corn. In 1492, Christopher Columbus brought corn back to...
Photo
Corn, or maize, is an important part of the Hispanic diet. In fact, the corn we eat today was developed by Indians living in Southern Mexico over 7,000 years ago.
Photo
Comamos is the Spanish word for "let's eat." And what we eat tells people a lot about who we are. Food is a way of life, and the foods we eat reveal our heritage, where we live, and our beliefs. You...
Photo
Folk dancing is a source of national pride in Mexico. For Seira, folk dancing represents a part of her Hispanic heritage that she believes her new friends in South Carolina will enjoy and learn from...
Photo
Seira's performance was a great success and created many new admirers of this traditional dance form. Along with Seira's dancing, people in Columbia were able to taste food, listen to music, and see...
Photo
Seira's dance group was soon invited to perform at the Five Points Cinco de Mayo celebration in Columbia. Cinco de Mayo, which means "the fifth of May," celebrates the Mexican army's win over the...
Photo
Recently, Seira's church formed a folk dance group, under the instruction of Jose Maria. Jose had also just moved to the United States from Mexico. With Jose's assistance, the church found many people...
