National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Why? Because five Central American nations celebrate their independence on Sept. 15. Mexico celebrates on Sept. 16 (not on Cinco de Mayo) and Chile on Sept. 18. Also relevant: Día de la Raza, Oct. 12, the day in 1492 a certain Genoese navigator came ashore.
Launched in 1968 as a week, the designation expanded to a month during the final year of the Reagan administration.
Honoring “the stories, contributions and impact of Latinos in the United States,” the National Museum of the American Latino was established by Congress in 2020. Last month, the Smithsonian announced that NMAL would occupy the existing Arts and Industries Building, an 1881 structure next to the institution’s original building, the Castle…