Hispanic Heritage Month
AOL exclusive by Rafael Prieto

Since 1988, each Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month has celebrated the flourishing cultural and political influence of Latinos in the United States.

The first official commemoration dates back to 1968, when Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to declare a National Week of Hispanic Heritage.

The month is rich in Latin American history: Mexico's Independence Day falls on Sept. 16. The Independence of Central America is celebrated on Sept. 15, commemorating the step taken in 1821 in Guatemala City by representatives of El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Guatemala to separate from the Spanish crown. Chile's Independence, proclaimed in 1810, is celebrated on Sept. 18.

Toward the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, on Oct. 12, we remember the discovery of the American continent by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It is celebrated across Latin America as el Día de la Raza.

Not all Latin American Independence Days fall within Hispanic Heritage Month, but the celebration has helped integrate communities that are very diverse yet share a legacy of having been explored or colonized by Spain.

There are now 40 million Latinos living in the United States, and three out of every four speak Spanish. Their growth is helping the country rediscover its rich Hispanic heritage. Below are some often forgotten examples:

In 1803, the Louisiana Territory, which had been a Spanish territory for half a century, was transferred to the United States by Napoleon after he invaded Spain. The territory spanned the current states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota and Wyoming.

In 1819, Spain officially ceded Florida.

As a result of the Mexican-American War, in 1846, a vast expanse of the Southwest, which had been Mexican territory, became part of the United States. This area has since been divided into the states of California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and Utah.

In the wake of the Spanish-American War in 1898, Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory.

These days, U.S. history books do not dwell on Columbus or the Spanish participation in the discovery of the continent. Also ignored are Spanish explorations in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee, and the forts built in those territories. Very little is said about Juan Ponce de León, who traveled across Florida in 1513, 107 years before the Puritans' arrival.

Also glossed over is the founding of San Augustín in 1565, half a century before New England's colonization. St. Augustine, as it is now known, is the oldest city established by Europeans that still exists in the United States.

And few know that Santa Fe, New Mexico, was founded in 1609.

History, however, is being re-examined as the number of Hispanics in the United States continues to grow. Migration to the United Stated has been fueled over the years by the Mexican Revolution, the Cuban Revolution, military governments in the South, war in Central America, the political instability of Andean countries and economic crisis in the Caribbean, Argentina and Uruguay.

Their legacy of social, cultural and economic influence is celebrated across the nation this month as community organizations, schools and universities host myriad Hispanic Heritage Month activities.