In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, observed during the week that included Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. Congress expanded the observance in 1989 to a month-long celebration (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) of the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sept. 15 is the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.
The Hispanic population of the United States as of July 1, 2014 is 55 million, meaning people of Hispanic origin are the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority. Hispanics constituted 17% of the nation’s total population. The projected Hispanic population of the United States in 2060 is 119 million. According to this projection, the Hispanic population will constitute 28.6 percent of the nation’s population by that date.
