Hispanic Heritage Month: Yes, It Exists

By Ellie Drabnis on September 24, 2016

Yes, Hispanic Heritage month does indeed exist. It takes place from September 15 to October 15. It starts September 15 because that is the Independence Day of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica. That date is otherwise known as Central America’s Independence Day. Going hand in hand with that, September 16 is Mexico’s Independence Day.

To clarify: Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for the 5th of May), is not Mexico’s Independence Day. Cinco de Mayo is significant but not for reasons of gaining independence. What is being celebrated on Cinco de Mayo is how Mexico’s army triumphed over French military forces in The Battle of Puebla. The date of that was May 5, 1862. That is where the name ‘the 5th of May’ or literally, May 5th comes into play.

Hispanic Heritage Month existing at all might come as news to many people, but it should not. There are roughly 55 million Latinos in the United States and with that many of us here, Hispanic Heritage Month should be more widely celebrated.

And that said, no matter your ethnicity, this might be a good time to educate yourself about a culture other than your own.

Here are some carne asada Mexican tacos, just one of the many kinds of tacos out there to try!
(https://pixabay.com)

Maybe try some authentic Mexican tacos or the Salvadoran delicacy that is called pupusas (tortillas filled with cheese, pork, or both) that is served warm and with the option to be topped with curtido (a coleslaw of sorts).

Rather than have me list off what makes a pupusa, check out how they’re made in this clip here:

You’ll notice I used the words Hispanic and Latino interchangeably. I think I do that more out of the fact that I myself can use them like that. But, not everyone chooses to or can for that matter.

The word Hispanic, however, does include Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries but does not include Brazil because people from Brazil speak Portuguese. The term Latino refers to people who can be called ‘Latin American.’

I, however, don’t mind using both terms because while I am American born, I am very into my Guatemalan culture (I’m Guatemalan on my mother’s side) and, while I am American born, being called either term has never bothered me.

But, if you learn nothing this Hispanic Heritage Month save for one thing it should be the following: Unless someone is specifically from Spain, you should not be using the term ‘Spanish’ to identify them.

Snapchat screenshot; flags of Spanish-speaking countries made possible by emojis of those flags.

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