UNM celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, people and organizations alike celebrate the history, culture, and contributions of the various Hispanic and Latinx diasporas across the U.S. for Hispanic Heritage Month.

The time frame of the month aligns with the independence days of different countries.

According to the National Museum of the American Latino, today's month-long celebration originated as a week of recognition in 1968 and was later expanded to a month by President Reagan in 1988.

National Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of the history and culture of the U.S. Latino and Hispanic communities. Hispanic Heritage Month 2025 begins Monday, Sept. 15, 2025 and continues through Wednesday, Oct. 15. The event commemorates how those communities have influenced and contributed to American society at large. Hispanic Heritage Month actually began as a commemorative week when it was first introduced in June of 1968 by California Congressman George E. Brown. The push to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic community had gained momentum throughout the 1960s when the civil rights movement was at its peak and there was a growing awareness of the United States' multicultural identities.

On Sept. 17, 1968, Congress passed Public Law 90-498, officially authorizing and requesting the president to issue annual proclamations declaring September 15 and 16 to mark the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Week and calling upon the "people of the United States, especially the educational community, to observe such week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first Hispanic Heritage Week presidential proclamation on the same day.

Hispanic Heritage Month at UNM
The University of New Mexico honors the state's rich Hispanic heritage year-round. Within the department of anthropology, this commitment is evident through a dedicated webpage that showcases the impact of the Hispanic Lobo community, highlighting several celebration events, resource centers, scholars, research and organizations.

UNM El Centro de la Raza
El Centro de la Raza is committed to providing a culturally rich, socially engaging, academically rigorous, and emotionally supportive experience for students.  The department and its programs value the students and their families at UNM. The work of El Centro has touched the lives of many people in the state, from mentoring, recruitment efforts, cultural programming, civic engagement, advocacy, student internships, professional development and emergency scholarships. El Centro is instrumental in promoting student access and success by fostering strategic partnerships and supporting the development of new leaders for the future of the Latino/Hispano community.

El Centro de la Raza Director Rosa Isela Cervantes shared that El Centro de la Raza stands as a testament to the vibrant Chicano movement of the 1960s. Its inspiring history is deeply rooted in student empowerment. Initially brought to life by passionate students, El Centro quickly emerged as a vital force, ensuring that the University of New Mexico addresses the unique needs of its largest and most rapidly growing ethnic population.

In 1994, El Centro achieved a significant milestone by securing state funding for its first special project. This step, alongside dedicated student advocacy and community support, ultimately led to the organization's renaming in 1995 as El Centro de la Raza. This change reaffirmed its core mission: to serve the Chicano/Nuevo Mexicano/Latina/o/x student population in reaching their goals in higher education and beyond.

"El Centro de la Raza stands as a testament to the vibrant Chicano movement of the 1960s. Its inspiring history is deeply rooted in student empowerment. Initially brought to life by passionate students, El Centro quickly emerged as a vital force, ensuring that the University of New Mexico addresses the unique needs of its largest and most rapidly growing ethnic population."

- Rosa Isela Cervantes, director of El Centro de la Raza

UNM Chicana and Chicano Studies
The Chicana and Chicano studies department at the University of New Mexico is an interdisciplinary program. The purpose of the department is to promote a critical understanding of Chicano/Hispano/Mexicano communities through teaching, research and advocacy. Since our program resides at the flagship institution of the state that has the largest percentage of Hispanics in the country, this mission is integral to furthering the understanding of New Mexico's present and the nation's future.

Irene Vasquez is the director of the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute and holds the position of founding chair of the Chicana and Chicano studies department at The University of New Mexico. Under her leadership, from 2013 to 2015, UNM established a department of and a bachelor's degree in Chicana and Chicano Studies. She has a joint faculty position in the department of Chicana and Chicano Studies and American Studies. She currently serves as the department chair of the Department of Chicana/o Studies. Vásquez specializes in the intersectional histories and politics of Mexican-descent populations in the Americas.

UNM Department of Spanish and Portuguese
UNM's Department of Spanish & Portuguese plays a vital role in the flagship university of a bilingual state, in teaching the languages, cultures, and literatures of the Hispanic and Portuguese worlds. The department teaches three basic language programs: Spanish as a Second Language, Spanish as a Heritage Language and Brazilian Portuguese. The undergraduate and graduate degrees offer concentrations in Hispanic Linguistics, Hispanic Literature (Peninsular and Spanish American), Hispanic Southwest Studies and Portuguese.

Santiago Vaquera-Vásquez (Department chair, UNM Spanish and Portuguese) is an unrepentant border crosser, ex-dj, writer, painter and academic. His literary work has been published in anthologies in Spain, Italy, Latin America and the United States. He recently published a small chapbook with a selection of already published stories, Algún día te cuento las cosas que he visto. He has been invited to give readings from his work at universities and conferences in Spain, Mexico, Colombia and the United States. His academic work on US/Mexico border cultures has been published in journals and anthologies in Mexico and the United States.

UNM Latin American and Iberian Institute
The Latin American and Iberian Institute (LAII) fosters research and education within UNM about the cultures, languages, history and societies of these world regions, and works to share UNM's expertise and resources with partners including Central New Mexico Community College, K-12 schools, the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Instituto Cervantes, and other organizations in the community. LAII's efforts are sustained and bolstered by UNM's community of scholars whose research centers on Mexico, Central America, South America, the Spanish-speaking Caribbean, Spain, and Portugal. Over 120 faculty members at UNM conduct research and/or teach on these regions, representing a wide range of disciplines, interests and approaches.

Southwest Hispanic Research Institute
Established in 1980, the Southwest Hispanic Research Institute (SHRI) promotes multidisciplinary research on the Latino/Hispanic populations of New Mexico and the United States. SHRI offers an intellectual home for its faculty associates and invites the Hispano and Mexicano communities of New Mexico to connect with the University. SHRI advocates and supports access and equity in hiring, promotion and retention of Latinx faculty; supports and co-sponsors research and events, including conferences, open lectures and visiting scholars. The Institute supports faculty and student working paper series, sponsors and provides internships, graduate assistantships and research opportunities for UNM faculty associates and affiliated students.

Events (For a full listing visit, Hispanic Heritage Month)
1. Sept. 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Mexican Independence Day Celebration in partnership with the Mexican Consulate; National Hispanic Cultural Center Patio | Fountain Courtyard 1701 4th Street SW
2. Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m. - LAII Welcome Reception; Latin American and Iberian Institute (801 Yale Blvd NE)
3. Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m. - Spanish & Portuguese Language of the Month Film Screening: "Ainda Estou Aqui" (I'm Still Here); LLC Movie Room
4. Sept. 19, 2 p.m. - LAII Greenleaf Scholar Lecture: Black Prints: Modernist Networks of Anti-Racist Solidarity in Latin America presented by Dr. Bruno Pinheiro; via Zoom
5. Sept. 20, - 40th Anniversary of the Conexiones Program; Hodgin Hall; Register in Advance
6. Sept. 20, - ¡Globalquerque! New Mexico's Annual Celebration of World Music & Culture; Civic Plaza
7. Sept. 23, 6 p.m. - Viva Indie: The future of New Mexico Film; National Hispanic Cultural Center, Bank of America Theater
8. Sept. 24, 6 p.m. - National Hispanic Cultural Center Book Club; HLA Conference Room
9. Sept. 25, 1 p.m. - Genealogy Workshops; National Hispanic Cultural Center, Salón Ortega
10. Sept. 25, 4 p.m. - Spanish & Portuguese Language of the Month Film Screening: "In the Time of Butterflies"; LLC Movie Room

For more information on Hispanic Heritage Month, visit the UNM Anthropology website.