Hispanic Heritage Month
We celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success. The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.
View related records in the Archives Catalog, including records about Puerto Rico, prominent Hispanic Americans, and Hispanic and Latino issues in the United States.
President Barack Obama Greets Justice Sonia Sotomayor before her investiture ceremony at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, September 8, 2009. NAID 118817965
President Barack Obama recognizes Medal of Honor honorees, from left, Staff Sgt. Melvin Morris, Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rodela, and Spc.4 Santiago J. Erevia, during the Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2014. NAID 159982155
César Chávez, United Farm Workers of America leader, July 1972. (Photo by Cornelius M. Keyes) NAID 544069
United Farm Workers of America co-founder Dolores Huerta attends an event marking the establishment of the César Chávez National Monument at Nuestra Señora Reina de la Paz, Keene, CA, October 8, 2012. NAID 55142212
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro speaks at a diversity panel at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC. NAID 146150911
Pilot Sidney M. Gutierrez, sitting in the commander's seat on the flight deck of the orbiter Columbia, goes over a procedure list, June 10, 1999. NAID 22581289
Photo of Roberto Clemente taken from his military service record, dated September 30, 1958. NAID 7329767
President George W. Bush acknowledges dancer and actress Chita Rivera (center) during a reception for recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors of 2002.
Lin-Manuel Miranda (far left), creator of the Broadway musical Hamilton, listens to President Barack Obama's closing remarks following a performance of musical selections from Hamilton in the East Room of the White House, March 14, 2016. (Official White House photo by Pete Souza)
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez takes a selfie with First Lady Michelle Obama before the 85th Annual League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) National Convention and Exposition in New York City, July 10, 2014. NAID 176550250
Related Articles
Monuments, Manifest Destiny, and Mexico (Prologue magazine, Summer 2005) - The survey of the U.S.-Mexico borderline, which followed the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, is sometimes disparagingly referred to as the stuff that "dime novels" are made of. Dime novel it's not; it is more a narrative of nation-building, centered in President James K. Polk's vision of manifest destiny.
The United States Armed Forces and the Mexican Punitive Expedition (Prologue magazine, Fall 1997) - In February 1917, the last of the U.S. troops serving in the Mexican Punitive Expedition recrossed the border from Mexico into United States, nearly a year after Pancho Villa had raided Columbus, New Mexico.

The Disturnell map of 1847
The Disturnell map of 1847 was appended to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. (General Records of the U.S. Government, RG 11)
An Examination of Hispanic and Latino History
A discussion of documents from the Hernandez v. Corpus Christi, Texas (1959) case. As part of their Documented Rights Exhibit, the National Archives at St. Louis hosted a distinguished panel of scholars and legal experts to discuss the historical significance of documents from the Hernandez v. Corpus Christi, Texas (1959) case.
Hispanic Americans in Congress 1822–2012
A lecture hosted by the Center for Legislative Archives.
President Reagan's Briefing for Hispanic Appointees.
President Reagan's Remarks at a White House Briefing for Hispanic Appointees and Members of the Hispanic Community in the East Room on July 20, 1982.
The Spanish Earth
The Spanish Earth (Reel 2 of 6) - National Archives and Records Administration 1937. This documentary film uses footage of war and glimpses of rural Spanish life in its portrayal of the struggle of the Spanish Republican government against a rebellion by right-wing forces led by General Francisco Franco and backed by Nazi Germany and fascist Italy. The film was written by Ernest Hemingway and John Dos Passos (among others) and was narrated by Hemingway.
The Records of Rights exhibition has sections related to:
Mistreatment of Mexican-American Soldiers
Delano Grape Strike and Boycott
Los Angeles Garment Workers Strike
Miranda v. Arizona (Miranda Rights)
Google Cultural Institute
Google Cultural Institute/NARA exhibition titled La Experiencia Americana.
Hispanic Heritage page in Research section of Archives.gov
Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
Guide to Puerto Rican Records in the National Archives at New York
Records of the Spanish Governors of Puerto Rico
Records of the Provisional Government of Cuba, 1906–1909
Private Land Claims Records in the National Archives at Riverside
The Panama Canal: Riots, Treaties, Elections, and a little Military Madness, 1959–1973
LBJ Library
Hispanics – The Forgotten Class in Civil Rights History
LBJ and Hispanic Heritage Month
Ford Library
Documents regarding the Forum of National Hispanic Organizations
President Ford '76 Campaign Fact Book—Hispanic Americans
National Hispanic Heritage Week proclamations by President Ford
Carter Library
Notes on a 1980 meeting with Hispanic leaders
Presidential Proclamations
Lyndon B. Johnson: Proclamation No. 3869-September 17, 1968(inaugural proclamation)
Ronald Reagan: Proclamation 5859-Sep. 13, 1988(last proclamation for National Hispanic Heritage Week)
George H.W. Bush: Proclamation 6021-September 14, 1989(first proclamation about National Hispanic Heritage Month)
Annotations: Hispanic Heritage Month/The Herman Baca Collection
Forward with Roosevelt: From the Museum: “Holy Family” Carving
JFK Library Archives: Pedro Sanjuan, Insider for Integration
Pieces of History: Wedding in Rural Queretero
Pieces of History: Origins of National Hispanic Heritage Month
Pieces of History: Hispanic and Latino Organization (HALO) at the National Archives
Pieces of History: Roberto Clemente: A Legacy Beyond Baseball
Pieces of History: Rudy Martinez: The Beginning of the Latino Impact in World War II
Pieces of History: National Hispanic Heritage Month/Mes de la Herencia Hispana
Pieces of History: Modesto Cartagena, the most decorated Hispanic soldier of the Korean War
Pieces of History: President Nixon and the Hispanic Strategy
Pieces of History: Rita Moreno, first Hispanic actress to win the Academy Award
Pieces of History: Fidel Castro’s childhood plea to President Roosevelt
Pieces of History: Bienvenidos!
Text Message: “I’m Counting on You” by Leon Helguera: A Mexican Artist Puts His Stamp on Uncle Sam
Text Message: Towards a History of Mexican American Participation in World War I
Text Message: “Arias Bernal’s Trip to Washington”: a Mexican Cartoonist Joins the War Effort