National Hispanic Heritage Month begins on the 15th of September each year. The reason the month-long observance begins on the 15th, as opposed to the 1st like many other observations, is because September 15th marks the anniversary of independence for not one but five Latin American countries. El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala all gained their independence on September 15th. Plus, Mexico became an independent nation on September 16th, and Chile on September 18th.

In 1968, the United States Congress approved the President Lyndon B. Johnson’s bill to implement the national recognition of Hispanic Heritage Week. Later, in 1988, the observance was extended to one full month, dating September 15 through October 15 of each year, and thus Hispanic Heritage Month was born.

Hispanic people, also known as Spanish or Latino people, are considered to be all those who can trace their origins to Mexico, Spain or any of the Spanish-speaking nations in South America, Central America and the Caribbean. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the United States today, more than 35 million people celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and identify themselves as Latino or Hispanic.