Hispanic Heritage Month is a national celebration that begins on September 15 and ends on October 15. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period . It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402.

Celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Many Hispanic Americans trace their roots to the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas -- including the Arawaks (Puerto Rico), the Aztecs (Mexico), the Incas (South America), the Maya (Central America), and the Tainos (in Cuba, Puerto Rico and other places).

Some trace their roots to the Spanish explorers -- who in the 1400s set out to find an easier and less costly way to trade with the Indies. Other Latinos trace their roots to the Africans who were brought as slaves to the New World. For purposes of the U.S. Census, Hispanic Americans today are identified according to the parts of the world that they or their ancestors came from, including Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Spain, or the nations of Central or South America.

ALMA’S WAY, a new animated series from Fred Rogers Productions, will premiere on October 4, 2021. The series is created by Sonia Manzano, beloved by generations as “Maria” on Sesame Street, who broke new ground as one of the first Latino characters on national TV. Inspired by Manzano’s own childhood, ALMA’S WAY centers on 6-year-old Alma Rivera, a proud, confident Puerto Rican girl who lives in the Bronx with her family among a diverse group of close-knit friends and community members. Infused with Manzano’s humor and grounded in a social and emotional curriculum, the series will give children ages 4-6 the tools to find their own answers, express what they think and feel, and recognize and respect the unique perspective of others. Each episode showcases different aspects of Latino cultures through language, food, music, and customs. All viewers will see how other families are both alike and different from their own. Music is the “backbeat” of the series and includes traditional Puerto Rican styles like Plena, Bomba, and salsa along with other Latino genres such as Cuban son and Colombian cumbia. The original theme song, written and produced by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Bill Sherman, is performed by Flaco Navaja and Summer Rose Castillo, who plays Alma. The series music is composed by Asher Lenz, Stephen Skratt, and Fabiola M. Mendez. The series will be available for viewers in both English and Spanish on all PBS KIDS platforms.

A read aloud for children. Explores different cultures through food.

¿Dónde está el coquí?

A read aloud for children in English and Spanish that takes us to Puerto Rico, where we meet a tiny singing frog that is that is the national symbol of the Island.

Here are the most popular Spanish lullabies and songs for children in Spanish. Remember that lyrics and song versions vary, so you might have learned a slightly different way that what I have here!

This month is Hispanic Heritage Month! Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx heroes, culture, and history with the passages below.

Colorín Colorado celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with dynamic booklists, classroom activities, and multimedia resources. These are great materials for the curriculum year round!

For more great ideas, see our resource section on "Día," or Children's Day/Book Day (El día de los niños/El día de los libros).

To learn more here.

Día de los Muertos Celebrations in Guatemala

This power point presentation (in PDF form) was developed by Dr. Avery Dickins de Girón for the 2017 el Día de los Muertos teacher workshop, "Día de los Muertos: Traditions and Celebrations Across Latin America." The presentation highlights traditions of fiambre, barriletes, and other unique aspects of the holiday in Guatemala.

Spanish for “rug,” Dia de los Muertos tapetes are large, colorful piece of art made on the ground as part of the Dia de los Muertos celebration in parts of Mexico. They are made of colored sand, sawdust, or even pieces of flowers, feathers and other organic material. Tapetes can measure up to ten meters long and wide, and depict playful images of death.

Las Posadas is a celebration in Mexico and Central America that takes place just before Christmas. This lesson shows students how people might celebrate a holiday during the same time as they do, but in a different way.

To learn more about Las Posadas here.

Premiering in 2013, The Latino Americans was the first major documentary series for television to chronicle the rich and varied history and experiences of Latinos, who have helped shape North America over the last 500-plus years and have become, with more than 50 million people, the largest minority group in the U.S.

Learn more about the documentary here.

The Smithsonian Latino Center was created in 1997 to promote Latino presence within the Smithsonian. The Center is not represented in one physical location; rather, it works collaboratively with the Institution's museums and research centers, ensuring that the contributions of the Latino community in the arts, history, national culture and scientific achievement are explored, presented, celebrated and preserved.

Construction of the Inka Road stands as one of the monumental engineering achievements in history. A network more than 20,000 miles long, crossing mountains and tropical lowlands, rivers and deserts, the Great Inka Road linked Cusco, the administrative capital and spiritual center of the Inka world, to the farthest reaches of its empire.
View the online exhibition

The first thing to pop into your mind when you hear "Latino" is probably people from Latin America - places like Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, etc. But where exactly did the history of that word come from, and has it always meant Central America and South America as well as the Caribbean? Today Danielle traces the origin of the term "Latino" and the debates that still surround it as well as the term "Hispanic" and "Latinx."

Have you ever heard a salsa rhythm that just made you want to groove? Perhaps bitten into a loaded taco bursting with flavor that makes you wonder how all of these flavors got into one bite? Maybe you have heard a friend from the Dominican Republic speaking Spanish to a companion from Argentina and thought, wow are they both really speaking the same language? Take a dive deeper into the world of Hispanic and Latinx heritage! Meet National Park Service and other Department of the Interior staff as they share their heritage and get just a small taste of the immense diversity of the Hispanic and Latinx experience. Take advantage of this time set aside to learn something new about the many flavors of Hispanic and Latinx Heritage! (Video made in partnership with the Department of the Interior's National Association of Hispanic Employees and National Park Service's Hispanic Organization on Relevancy, Advising, Leadership, and Excellence.)

To learn more here.

What are the stories of U.S. Latinos and how do they inform the broader American narrative? From southern Florida to the San Juan Islands of Washington state, from the pre-history of the nation through today's most contentious issues, Latino experiences illuminate our country’s history and its struggle to live up to its ideals. This collection of lesson plans, videos and classroom resources invites teachers and students to explore the history, people and issues chronicled in the PBS series, Latino Americans. Along the way, it engages students in dramatic real-life stories and offers primary texts that serve the goals of the Common Core.

For information on Latino Americans, click here.

1 Latin American and Latino History

2. Landmarks of Movement and Migration

3. K-12 Lessons for Hispanic History & Culture

4. Lessons from the Chihuahuan Desert

5. "Latino Americans" Documentary Resources

This month is Hispanic Heritage Month! Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx heroes, culture, and history with the passages below.

Since 1992, the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies at The University of Texas at Austin has been the institutional home of the Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC). Through partnerships with organizations in Latin America and globally, LANIC's mission is to facilitate access to online information on, from, or about Latin America. To this end, LANIC hosts an extensive set of digital collections covering many different topics and content areas. We invite you to learn more about these rich collections, or browse and search their contents by following the links below.

To learn more here.

Music is an excellent way to share language and culture at the same time. There are so many songs you could use this month! Check these out.

Celebrate Latin American countries in this happy song. If the video isn’t appropriate for your school, consider using a version that just features the lyrics.

por Alfredo Carpio Florescanta Dúo Benítez y Valencia

Expose your students to one of the great classics in Spanish, by the legendary Celia Cruz.

Juan Luis Guerra (born June 7, 1957) is a Dominican singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 30 million records, and won numerous awards including 15 Latin Grammy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Latin Billboard Music Awards. He recently won 3 Latin Grammy Awards in 2010, including Album of the Year.

“The Hispanic Heritage Foundation is thrilled to once again partner with Target and PBS to collectively celebrate and share the great promise, accomplishments, and cultural pride of the Latinx community through the 2021 Awardees and powerful tributes by great performers,” said Jose Antonio Tijerino, President and CEO, HHF. “More than ever, it’s important to shine the spotlight on the tremendous value Latinos provide this great country we all share, and tell our own stories to America thanks to the partnerships we have with Target and PBS.”

To learn more about this event here. The 2022 links are here.

Hispanicize #UnidosTogether Hispanic Heritage Month is the largest virtual and live in-person gathering of Latinx influencers, content creators, entrepreneurs and media and entertainment innovators grounded by the #UnidosTogether initiative aimed at being a force for good in the Latinx community.

Led by the iconic Hispanicize platform, the FREE full-day summit will take place on Friday, October 15th and for the FIRST TIME will be hosted both virtually and live in-person in Los Angeles and Miami featuring influencers, tastemakers, content creators, celebrities, executives and entrepreneurs alike who are doing amazing things in the Latinx community. Roundtables, Keynotes and Break-Out sessions will cover topics spanning Social Justice, TV & Film, Music and much more sprinkled with the sazón with which Hispanicize is synonymous. This Hispanic Heritage Month is going to be our BIGGEST Hispanicize yet from east to west and everywhere in between!

Hispanicize #UnidosTogether Hispanic Heritage Month event is proud to be bringing back the coveted TECLA Awards honoring the best of the best in Latinx social media, as well as the prestigious LatinXCLNCE and LATINAVATOR Awards acknowledging leaders, public figures and those who are doing amazing work in the Latinx community.

Hispanicize #UnidosTogether Hispanic Heritage Month will be STREAMED LIVE ON HISPANICIZE.COM on Friday, October 15th.

Past Hispanicize participants include...

- John Leguizamo (Actor, Activist & NGL Partner)

- Jessica Alba (Founder of The Honest Company)

- Fat Joe (Rapper & Actor)

- Dascha Polanco (Actor, Orange Is The New Black & In The Heights)

- Carlos Ponce (Award-Winning Singer, Actor and TV Host)

- Diane Guerrero (Actor, Orange Is The New Black)

- Residente (Rapper & Activist For Human Rights)

- Luis Guzman (Actor & Activist)

- Dolores Huerta (Activist & Founder/President, Dolores Huerta)

- Melissa Fumero (Actor & Director, Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

- Edward James Olmos (Actor & Activist)

- Xolo Mariduena (Actor & Cobra Kai Star)

- America Ferrera (Actor & Activist)

- Julian Castro (Fmr. U.S. Sec. of Housing & Urban Development)

- Oscar De La Hoya (Boxing Champ & Chairman/CEO, Golden Boy)

- Mario Lopez (Actor & Entertainment Journalist)

- Julissa Calderon (Actress, Writer & Producer)

Hispanicize #UnidosTogether Hispanic Heritage Month will be STREAMED LIVE ON HISPANICIZE.COM on Friday, October 15th.

We hope to see you there .

#UnidosTogether!

To register here.

As Hispanic Heritage Month begins, I've started to look back on my experience with this month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino culture. As a third-generation Latina woman living in the U.S., I'm trying to understand the difference between how I've experienced it vs. how my son's generation is experiencing it now. The realization I came to was eye-opening. 👀

For a long time I simply thought of it as a nod to Mexico's Independence Day 🇲🇽 —which is on September 16 and commemorates Mexicans calling for liberation from Spain in 1810. Because my dad's side of the family is from Mexico, it's what we celebrated at home, and at school we would learn about Mexico's Independence Day in history class while all the Latino students would bring in their favorite traditional treats (I would always choose conchas). Then we'd move on to a new lesson.

It wasn't until high school that my understanding of Hispanic Heritage Month expanded, and that was mostly because my friend group diversified. I had friends who were Puerto Rican, Colombian, Salvadoran, Peruvian, and from many different mixtures of Hispanic cultures. Although our traditions, cultures, and experiences were broadly different, our experience of Hispanic Heritage Month was generally the same: We'd celebrate our own specific culture at home, then come to school to have a dangerously overgeneralized celebration with all of our unique cultures lumped together as one.

Now, as an adult, I cringe at this experience 😖, not only for myself, but for my friends and so many other Latino and Hispanic kids who probably experienced the same generational trauma of being misunderstood, underrepresented, and stereotyped. So how do we do better for this current generation and those to come?

First, we know representation matters, both to reflect our own experiences and to learn about others'. And, as head of ratings and reviews for podcasts 🎤, I know that they're an increasingly popular, screen-free media format for kids. They let us listen just about anywhere, and the intimate format allows kids' imaginations to soar. 🪁 So below is a list of podcasts—and specific episodes—to broaden kids' understanding of Hispanic Heritage Month and the diverse contributions of Latino and Hispanic people and culture.

• Circle Round (2+): Little ones can listen to a variety of folktales from the Spanish-speaking world—including a touching Paraguayan tale—through music-filled episodes with characters voiced by some of their favorite actors. Check out: "The Uncommon Offering," " The Horse of a Different Color," "Lookalike Falls," "Of Beans and Bunnies."
• The Music Box (6+): This educational music podcast has a great episode that highlights and celebrates music and artists from Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, and more: "Composers and Musicians of Latin America!"
• Who, When, Wow! (7+): This fun history show from the creators of Wow in the World features two great episodes that will expose kids to Latino athletes who defied the odds and paved the way for Latinos to shine in spaces where they were once hidden. " Alicia Alonso: Ballerina" tells the story of the partially blind Cuban ballerina who founded the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. And "Roberto Clemente" celebrates the first Latino baseball player to reach 3,000 career hits.
• The Ten News (8+): A great way to kick off HHM is with their episode "Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month," which gives the historical background of the holiday and also dives into the distinction between the terms Latino and Hispanic to ensure they're used correctly.
• The Mayan Crystal (8+): This is a fictional story with roots in Mayan culture and tradition, and a brave female protagonist.
• Timestorm (8+): This epic audio adventure highlights Puerto Rican culture, traditions, and history in a fun and unique way: through time travel. What's great about this podcast is that it shares the perspective of Latin American kids who may feel somewhat disconnected from their culture because they were never fully immersed in it.
• Cultureverse (8+): A great podcast with diverse folktales for older kids. Two episodes highlight Latin American folktales: "Cholito de la Suerte" (Mexico) and " The Wise Fool" (Puerto Rico).
• Mija Podcast (8+): Tells stories of the immigrant experience, from triumphs to tribulations. Season one focuses on a Colombian family's experience, and the upcoming miniseries—set to launch September 14—will focus on community and growth in northern Mexico. Episodes are offered in English and Spanish.
• Duolingo Spanish Podcast (10+): From the creators of the well-known language learning app, this podcast doesn't just teach the Spanish language, it immerses listeners in Hispanic culture around the world. Episodes are bilingual and best for those with intermediate to advanced Spanish language skills.
• Tres Cuentos Literary Podcast (11+): This literary podcast celebrates Latino and Hispanic authors, stories, and experiences from Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and many more. Each episode is recorded in both English and Spanish. Great for older middle school students and high schoolers as well.
• Latino USA (15+): Hear diverse news and culture stories from Guatemalan, Salvadoran, Afro-Latino, and Venezuelan communities and more. Great for high school students to broaden their perspective of U.S. history and current events from a Latin American perspective.

To explore and celebrate more of Hispanic and Latino culture, history, and contributions beyond this holiday month, you can also check out some of our other podcast lists: Best Bilingual and Spanish Podcasts for Kids and Kids & Family Podcasts with Latino Hosts and Latino Lead Characters.

Best,
Laura

Originating in Italy in the 15th century, Lotería game first moved to Spain before reaching Mexico in 1769. The rules are similar to bingo in that players mark spots on a tabla, or board, with a token (traditionally a raw bean) and attempt to fill it before all other players. A designated card announcer randomly pulls colorfully illustrated cards like “La Luna,” or “El Arbol,” and sometimes improvises poetic descriptions that match spaces on the tablas. A shout of “¡lotería!” or “¡buenas!” declares victory for one lucky player, ending the round.

The Latino American Experience is a database from the Tennessee Electronic Library and on the research part of Limitless Libraries.

Email: dchen@mnps.org
Location: 1800 Stratford Avenue, Nashville, TN, USA
Phone: 6158001488
Twitter: @librarystrat