In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson established Hispanic Heritage Week with Public Law 90-48 starting the fifteenth of September. Twenty years later, this period of national recognition was lengthened by President Ronald Reagan to occupy an entire month. For thirty-five years now, the United States has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th – October 15th.
The start date for Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM) is significant because the week of the 15th holds the independence days for several Spanish-speaking countries, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Chile.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the contributions people of Hispanic and Latinx descent have made to both our country and the world.
Several Barstow community members spoke on their appreciation for Hispanic Heritage Month and shared their personal relationships to Hispanic culture.
“My favorite part of Hispanic Heritage Month is how it helps others see how much Hispanic culture there is all around us that we might not otherwise notice. Recognizing how much those of Hispanic/Latino descent have contributed to the history of the US and the world is really important,” says Mrs. Teresa Lorenz-Do, the Lower School Spanish teacher.
For example, “NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (who like me is Salvadoran-American), has just broken the record for longest american to stay in space,” says Sarah Villacorta ‘26.
Mrs. Victoria Loza, the Middle School Spanish teacher, agrees, saying, “I love the importance it brings to Hispanics in the U.S. as well as the Spanish Language. There are over 40 million Spanish speakers today in the U.S. That puts our country right after Spain in regard to the number of Spanish speakers! In addition, by 2060, nearly 1 in 3 people will be Hispanic. That is a huge deal!”
Isa Siller ‘25’s favorite parts of Hispanic Heritage Month are “that I get to eat my favorite foods, and I get to acknowledge my Latin-American heritage. I commemorate my country, my city and my community, to be proud of my ethnicity and share the characteristics of my culture with everyone interested in learning about it.”
“In recent years, I’ve felt that Barstow has done an especially amazing job at recognizing the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month; creating activities centered around celebrating the different traditions,” says Villacorta ‘26.
Señora Lorenz-Do agrees, saying, “I am delighted with the efforts to bring factual information about the Hispanic cultures to the school community by hanging posters for everyone to read in passing, and inviting the Baile Folklorico dancers for all the students to experience. I also particularly love the cultural festival that was held last spring, and I’m looking forward to that becoming a yearly tradition. The school should continue to hold class discussions around the importance of other cultures and events that demonstrate cultural traditions, and continue to provide students the opportunity to share their experience and family traditions with the school community.”
“However,” says Mrs. Loza, “I feel like it is still something that I am guessing only the Spanish teachers really talk about in class. Maybe to improve its recognition, it could be something emphasized in other classes, as there are many famous Hispanics related to various subject areas.”
Mrs. Loza and Señora Lorenz-Do have incorporated Hispanic Heritage Month into the classroom by, “reading about famous hispanics, or watching videos about hispanic culture. We have recently read about Messi, and talked about Celia Cruz, the salsa queen,” as Mrs. Loza explained.
Señora Lorenz-Do tries to “highlight different traditions or well-known people who have contributed positively to the national and global communities in all my classes during HHM. Discussions prove great opportunities for students to compare and contrast their own traditions and cultural interests to the material I teach them about Hispanic cultures and encourage them to think more deeply about their relationships with others, so they can bridge gaps between themselves and those they have considered to be different.”
“Something else that is really important to emphasize is that most people often group ‘Hispanic culture’ just to ‘Mexican culture’. While Mexico is awesome, it is important to know that their traditions, such as Dia de los Muertos, are often much different than other Spanish speaking countries. For example, many other Spanish-speaking countries do not eat tacos or spicy food. It is important to be aware that there are so many flavors to Hispanic cultures, especially knowing that there are 21 countries that count Spanish as their official language!” advises Mrs. Loza.
However, Siller has some potentially harmful news to bring, “I’m sorry to break it to you guys, but a hard tortilla shell with mashed meat and American cheese is not a taco. A good Mexican taco is made of a soft tortilla with big pieces of your meat of choice. You can have it with a side of salsa and lime. If your taco is not spicy, it’s not a good taco!”
Festivals and celebrations, like Dia de los Muertos and quinceañeras, are by far the most favored of Hispanic traditions. When Mrs. Loza “lived in Ecuador, [she] loved the celebrations and festivals. Every year in Loja, Ecuador, they had what was called Artes Vivas and dancers and artists from other countries would come to the city and there were so many presentations and artistic displays.”
Señora Lorenz-Do’s favorite tradition is “Dia de los Muertos. When [she] lived in Tucson, [she] would walk all in the All Souls Procession each year. It is a celebration where approximately 150,000 people gather for a 2 mile walk. Many paint their faces as calaveras or wear masks while carrying pictures of their loved ones through the streets. Some also play mariachi instruments and sing as they walk. The University of Arizona marching band is always there dressed as calaveras and playing their instruments. There are floats and giant paper maché art pieces that people carry as well, but the procession is mostly comprised of people walking. [She] once had the chance to visit a Mexican cemetery for Dia de los Muertos and it was incredible.”
“My favorite tradition is the quinceañera,” says Villacorta, “which is a rite of passage for a girl to womanhood once she turns fifteen years old. It is normally celebrated with a special party where the girl wears a lavish dress.” Emilia Prier ‘27 agrees, saying, “I am excited to celebrate and party with all my class, family and friends.”
Isa Siller ‘25 and Emilia Prier ‘27 are cousins. Their family is from Monterrey, Mexico. “My dad’s side of the family has Spanish heritage, my great grandparents were Spanish but they decided to quit their Spanish citizenship due to the Civil War in the early 20th century,” explains Siller.
She continues, saying, “We commemorate all of the traditions in different ways by participating in the religious practice as well as the community practices. My favorite tradition is the ‘posadas’. Technically they start December 16 to celebrate Christmas, every day there’s a gathering in different households until December 24. On the night of December 24th there’s a big family gathering when we eat ‘tamales’ and break the ‘piñata’.”
Months of recognition, like HHM, are all about learning. “Although I’m not a teacher,” says Villacorta, “I do try to share my culture with my peers. Sometimes it’s by teaching them certain words in Spanish or by explaining my favorite places in El Salvador.”
Hopefully everyone has learned something new this month and appreciated the vast diversity Hispanic culture has to offer!
