Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15- October 15th, and is a time where we celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

You can find more information and resources online here.

You can find texts to support Hispanic Heritage Month here in our online store!

To celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, we recognize the authors and artists from Latin America that have contributed to the fabric of our culture. There is an infinite number of people to recognize, however, we have reading materials to support the stories of some. Do you know them? 

We celebrate FRIDA KAHLO.

(July 6, 1907 – July 13, 1954) Kahlo is a world-renowned Mexican artist that dedicated her life to creating beauty and expressing her most authentic self despite the many challenges she faced.

 We celebrate Frida Kahlo for her art and self-expression.

 Check out these Books del Sur to learn more about Kahlo:

We celebrate GABRIELA MISTRAL.

(April 7, 1889 – January 10, 1957) Mistral is the pseudonym of Chilean-born poet Lucila Godoy Alcayaga. She was a voracious reader and writer, which was unique for women of her time. She worked as a teacher, wrote essays, and composed poetry.  She was the first Latin American author to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1945.

We celebrate Gabriela Mistral for her words and work as an educational advocate.

Check out these Books del Sur books to learn more about Mistral:

We celebrate PABLO NERUDA.

(July 12, 1904 – September 23, 1973) Pablo Neruda has the honor of being called, “The Greatest Poet of the 20^th Century in Any Language.” Neruda, who became known for his poetry at the young age of 13, won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971. He often wrote in green ink which became known as his personal way of spreading desire and hope through his words. While he was also a diplomat and politician, he continued to reflect his political views in his poetry.

We celebrate Pablo Neruda for the influence he had on our culture through his poetry.

We celebrate JUANA AZURDUY.

(July 12, 1780  - May 25, 1862) Azurduy was a Bolivian military leader from what is now Sucre, Bolivia.  Her military leadership contributed to the independence of the area that she lived which at the time was known as Alto Peru which included Bolivian, Peru, and Northern Argentina. Despite her military contributions, her life ended in poverty because she was a woman she did not receive a military pension. In recent history, she has been recognized for her service and embraced by Bolivia and Argentinians as a heroine.

We celebrate Juana Azurduy for her military service.

 Check out this Books del Sur book to learn more about Azurduy:

We celebrate VIOLETA PARRA.

(October 4, 1917 – February 5, 1967) Violeta Parra, who became known as the “Mother of Latin American Folk Music, “ is credited with bringing about the rebirth of Chilean folk music. Parra traveled the world singing her misc. One of her best-known songs is “Gracias a la Vida” and his still sung today by folk singers everywhere.

We celebrate Violeta Parra for all she did to develop the Latino story through her music.

Check out this Books del Sur book to learn more about Parra: