For more than 50 years, Americans have been observing National Hispanic Heritage Month, a thirty-day celebration of contributions made by achievers of Caribbean, Central American, Mexican, South American, and Spanish heritage.
The September 15 start date marks the independence anniversaries of Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Days later, Mexico and Chile gained their independence. Hence, the significance of the mid-September launch to the month-long celebration.

