It would be opportune to understand what heritage we are talking about when we speak of Hispanic heritage, when this began, what it consists of and who participates in it. Heritage is the memory that unites us in the present from a distant past, making what was previously separate into one.
Hispanic Heritage in the US celebrates the culture and contributions of Americans with roots in Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean. Of which approximately 62% came from Mexico. The second and third position in the ranking went to two Caribbean countries, Puerto Rico, and Cuba. In this sense, it is worth mentioning that the population of Caribbean origin represents over 16.5% of the total Hispanic population residing in the North American country. Among the Caribbean countries, it is relevant to mention Puerto Rico and briefly explain the special relationship between the two countries, and the historical and legal character that unites them.1
The relationship between the US and PR begins with the Paris Peace Treaty and the approval of the Jones-Shafroth Act by the US Congress. As of December 10, 1898, Puerto Rico, previously a territory of Spain, then becomes a territory of the United States, as part of the Peace Treaty between the Kingdom of Spain and the United States
government. Later, the Jones-Shafroth Act was signed by the then president of the United States Woodrow Wilson, on March 2, 1917. This imposed US citizenship on Puerto Ricans, establishing the limits and political conditions of PR as an unincorporated territory of the US. In this way, Puerto Rico, a Spanish- speaking country full of Hispanic customs and traditions, also maintains a close connection that further strengthens the Hispanic heritage and its presence in the US and its celebration.
What is Hispanic heritage?
We could talk about many attributes of the Hispanic heritage, but it is convenient to touch on the most comprehensive and significant ones such as language, gastronomy, sports, culture, and governance.
Language
It is clear that the most notable contribution of Latinos to American culture has been the Spanish language, which is spoken in more than 41 million homes in this country. Another of the transcendental contributions of the Latino community to North American society has been music and gastronomy.
Spanish as a language, both by geographical extension and by number of users, occupies, with 543 million speakers in the world, fourth place among the most widely spoken languages; the second if we count only native speakers. Spanish as a spoken language is preceded in numbers of world users by Hindi: one of the most common official languages of India, with 341 million native inhabitants, it is a co-official language in India along with 21 other languages, including English. Mandarin Chinese is the set of Chinese dialects spoken in North, Central and Southwest China. With 918 million native speakers, it is the language with the most native speakers in the world, although if Mandarin Chinese speakers as a foreign language are added to this figure, the sum rises to a total of 1,120 million speakers, the second most spoken Worldwide. English: the language of exchange par excellence. English has 1,348 million speakers, of whom 379 million are native speakers.4 Although it has strong regional variations, there is a clear cultural link between Spanish-speaking countries, and it is used as a language of exchange between Europe and Latin America. Likewise, due to the migratory flow between the United States and Latin America, interest in Spanish as a second language has increased and, for this reason, it is not surprising that Spanish is the fourth most studied language in the world.
Gastronomy
According to chef Aarón Sánchez, host of Food Network and author of several related books, there are many gastronomic and historical currents in Latin American food. But in general, we can speak of four different regions: Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. In each of these regions, ingredients originating from Mesoamerica and South America are used to some extent, such as corn, tomato, avocado, potatoes, and peanuts, among others, to which their own mixture of other influences is added. such as Spanish or Portuguese cuisine and even African or even Asian. Some examples of these gastronomic heritage are the ceviche, arepas, the famous tacos, the Cuban sandwich, and the quinoa. Nutritionally, quinoa is made for champions of all weights and for those who just want its benefits. Since ancient times it has been known that the Inca warriors ate “war balls”, a mixture of quinoa and fat, to face marches on foot for several days, and currently, NASA considers it a superfood for the astronauts we send into space.
Sports
Football Soccer: Football (or soccer as the game is called in most of the world) has a long history. Football in its current form emerged in England in the mid-19th century. But alternative versions of the game existed long before and are part of football history. The earliest known examples of a team game involving a ball, which was made from a rock, occurred in ancient Mesoamerican cultures more than 3,000 years ago. It was by the Aztecs called Tchatali, although various versions of the game spread over large regions. On some ritual occasions, the captain of the losing team would also lose his life. A unique feature of Mesoamerican versions of the ballgame was a bouncing ball made of rubber: no other early culture had access to rubber, only the civilization that developed in what we now call Mexico.7
The United States soccer team won 7 Concacaf Gold Cups in 1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2021. They were Concacaf Nations League champions in 2019-20. In addition, they were runner-up in the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 and were semi-finalists in the Copa América in 1995 and 2016.
Culture and Governance
The Hispanic heritage is present in the symbols of the USA. The flags of many states and cities, as well as their shields, have their origin in the Spanish and Hispanic heritage of the country, in which its Hispanic heritage can be clearly seen.
During the American Revolution (1775-1783) and the Civil War (1861-1865) in the United States, Hispanic participation also played an important role, in which we can mention Bernardo de Gálvez, Fernando de Leyba, Colonel Santos Benavides and Diego de Gardoqui who contributed in an outstanding way to the success of the United States, as well as thousands of Hispanic soldiers. We will talk in more detail about these four personalities later.
In more recent times, we also have to mention President Barack Obama signed H.R. 1726 to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Borinqueneers, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s South Court Auditorium, June 10, 2014. President Obama highlighted: shortly: “After Puerto Rico became part of the United States in 1898, a regiment of Puerto Rican soldiers was formed, and since then they have valiantly served our nation. In World War I, they defended the homeland and patrolled the Panama Canal Zone. In World War II, they fought in Europe. In Korea, they fought in mud and snow. They are the 65th Infantry Regiment, US Army, also known as Borinqueneers”.8 Puerto Rican sacrifice and bravery was not just limited to the 65th Infantry. While that unit served as the largest group of Puerto Rican Soldiers during World War II, countless men and women of Puerto Rican heritage served honorably in other units as well.
On the American Revolution and the Civil War, we will highlight the next four outstanding figures among others:
Bernardo de Gálvez- American Revolutionary War, is best remembered for his role in denying the British the ability to encircle the American rebels from the south by pressing British forces in West Florida and for keeping a vital flow of supplies to Patriot troops across the colonies.
Fernando de Leyba – American Revolutionary War, the Spanish Savior of St. Louis. When the American War for Independence forced Spain to take sides, the assignment became an all-out dangerous one. Fernando de Leyba is one of the better-known Spanish officers who served with the Fixed Louisiana Infantry Regiment in its early years. “Near this spot stood Fort San Carlos erected in 1780. It was attacked May 28, 1780, by the British and Indians and successfully defended by the Spanish garrison under Captain Fernando de Leyba. This victory prevented Great Britain from gaining control of the Mississippi Valley in the later years of the American Revolutionary War.9
Colonel Santos Benavides. Civil War, commander of the 33rd Texas Cavalry Regiment, and the highest-ranking Tejano in the Confederate army. Colonel Santos Benavides have played a crucial role in driving off Union forces from Brownsville in 1864.
Diego de Gardoqui- American Revolutionary War, provided a great deal of money for the North American revolution, in fact, he established a company to provide combatants with supplies.
The first cargo supplies was from Palencia and Bejar. Although the whole region of Salamanca, where supplies were manufactured, knew that they were for the ‘American rebels’, it seems that the news never reached the British. Gardoqui’s company also bought ships and goods in Holland which were sent to New Orleans and from there they reached the rebels. The Convention of Philadelphia, held between 25 May and 17 September 1787, gave rise to the North American constitution and George Washington’s election as President. After the Convention, he stayed there as a representative at President Washington’s solemn inauguration. The event took place in New York, on 30 April 1789. On that memorable day, Washington had the French ambassador on his right and the Spanish ambassador, Diego Mª de Gardoqui y Arriquibar, on his left. Hispanic heritage has been present since the revolution and independence of the United States. September 15 is also significant because it is the anniversary of the independence of the Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and 18, respectively. Additionally, “Día de la Raza” celebration, which is October 12, falls within this 30-day period of Hispanic heritage celebration. The Hispanic heritage in the United States covers day by day with significant contributions in gastronomy, sports, and culture among others. We can say that the flourishing of culture is based on the union between the diversity of its parts, that makes mere culture a culture of true richness. So, let’s make the celebration of Hispanic heritage a meeting point where we are able to find the true union between people and worlds. From which emerge the healthy enjoyment of life and the common benefit of this union to then dissolve the differences, those that can still separate us.