Friday, October 4, 2013

National Hispanic American Heritage Month 2013

Boys in Fiesta Costumes, Taos, New Mexico Farm SecurityAdministration, Office of War Information Photograph Collection Library of Congress 1940

September 15th to October 15th marks the month-long celebration of the 500-year history and cultural diversity of 50 million Americans who trace their roots to Spain, the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin American countries in Central and South America.   A law passed in 1988 made National Hispanic American Heritage Month official.  The time period is significant because many Latin American countries celebrate their independence during the month of September, and Dia de la Raza (the Hispanic version of Columbus Day) falls on October 12th.

There are many excellent online resources for National Hispanic American Heritage Month, including a
web portal.   This website represents a collaboration among the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Institution, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.  Exhibitions, collections, audio and video and images and a special teachers section make this a valuable resource for online teaching using primary sources.

Here are a few links to learning resources and multimedia:

Hispanic Heritage Month

Folk Arts of the Spanish Southwest from the Index of American Design  an online slideshow from the National Gallery of Art.

Geoffrey Holt (artist), American, active c. 1935, and Harry Mann Waddell (artist), American, active c. 1935, Anonymous Craftsman (Native American) (object maker), Restoration Drawing: Wall Painting; Door, 1937, watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper, Index of American Design, 1943.8.5983


The Latino Virtual Gallery  - Smithsonian Latino Institute



An Examination of Hispanic and Latino History, The U.S. National Archives





Beyond Baseball:  The Life of Roberto Clemente - Virtual Exhibition - Smithsonian Institution





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