Hispanic Heritage Month is observed September 15 to October 15 in the US, unlike other heritage months that are celebrated during a singular calendar month. The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon B. Johnson as a way to pay tribute to the Hispanic and Latinx communities’ contributions to the nation, and was enacted into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 as an entire month. The heritage month starts on the 15th because it marks the independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, while Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence on the 16th and 18th, respectively. According to the Pew Research Center, the US Hispanic population reached 60.6 million in 2019, up from 50.7 million in 2010, making Hispanic folks the nation’s second-fastest-growing racial or ethnic group after Asian Americans.
