Hispanic Heritage month! Let's celebrate!!!

Hispanic Heritage month is celebrated from September 15th (my birthday) until October 15th.  It is when people recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans to the United States and celebrate the group's heritage and culture.  September 15th was chosen because it is the anniversary of independence of Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.  Mexico celebrates independence day on September 16th, and Chile on the 18th and Belize September 21st. Hispanic Heritage month celebrates the long and important presence of Hispanic and Latino Americans in North America, which started with the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus on the morning of October 12, 1492.  A map of the late 18th century North America shows this presence, from the small outpost of San Francisco, founded on June 29th, 1776 (when Spanish colonist found a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission St. Francis of Assisi), through the Spanish province of Texas, to the fortress of St. Augustine, Florida, first discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon, in 1513 ( Spanish explorer and governor of Puerto Rico). St Augustine was founded by Spanish admiral Pedro Menendez de Aviles in September 1565. St. Augustine is the first continuous European settlement in North America, founded decades before Jamestown, Virginia.

I am very proud of my Hispanic Heritage!

Puerto Rico

For more information and activities for children go to  scholastic.com