First Day of Hispanic Heritage Month

The first day of Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the anniversary of declarations of independence from five Latin American countries in 1821: Costa Rica (September 15, 1821), El Salvador , Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Latinos are now the largest minority group in the United States, and their impact on American popular culture from food to entertainment to literature is greater than ever.

Resources

• Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America - Juan Gonzalez (free download). A sweeping history of the Latino experience in the United States - thoroughly revised and updated. The first new edition in ten years of this important study of Latinos in U.S. history, Harvest of Empire spans five centuries-from the first New World colonies to the first decade of the new millennium. It features family portraits of real-life immigrant Latino pioneers, and accounts of the events and conditions that compelled them to leave their homelands. Harvest of Empire is required reading for anyone wishing to understand the history and legacy of this increasingly influential group.
• Dreams from Many Rivers: A Hispanic History of the United States Told in Poems - Margarita Engle, art by Gutierrez Hernandez. From Juana Briones and Juan Ponce de León, to eighteenth century slaves and modern-day sixth graders, the many and varied people depicted in this moving narrative speak to the experiences and contributions of Latinos throughout the history of the United States, from the earliest known stories up to present day. It's a portrait of a great, enormously varied, and enduring heritage. A compelling treatment of an important topic.