Join Anne Arundel County Public Library (AACPL) as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 through October 15. It is a time to explore the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
Reflecting on the history of this month, national observation of Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and was enacted into law in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan. The timing of Hispanic Heritage month was chosen to honor the official Independence Days of a variety of our neighboring Latin American countries. Starting off the month, September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. September 16 and 18 are Mexico and Chile’s respective Independence Days, and Belize rounds off September celebrating their independence on September 21.
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, AACPL will host events and highlight a wide range of resources, including books, movies and online materials celebrating Hispanic culture and heritage. We hope everyone will enjoy the celebrations!
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at your local library by attending fun, educational events.
- Come play ¡Lotería!, a popular board game that originated in Mexico and is played throughout Latin America.
- Enjoy live salsa and traditional Mexican folk dance performances, and delight in a lively concert by Guatemalan family band Marimba Linda Xelajú.
- Dance with Arte Flamenco as they teach you a sevillanas (short dance) and learn about the history of flamenco.
- Test and expand your knowledge of Hispanic culture at Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia Night and Music Bingo.
- Feeling crafty? Learn to paint like Frida Kahlo, be inspired by artist Fernando Llort, make a Dia de los Muertos ofrenda (shrine), create an Aztec-inspired mosaic and explore the art of Argentine gaucho hats.
- Read and rhyme with weekly bilingual storytimes in English and Spanish - no prior Spanish (or English) needed to enjoy!
Check out our events calendar to find additional Hispanic and LatinX interest events and programs. Looking for programs presented in Spanish? Visit our Hispanohablantes event calendar!
Enrich your knowledge of Hispanic history and cultures using the library’s digital resources.
- Stream movies featuring Hispanic actors and films highlighting history and achievements in the arts and media using Kanopy.
- Delve into the lives of historical and contemporary Hispanic Americans like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, John Leguizamo, Rudolfo Anaya and Gloria Anzaldúa using our Biography database.
- Brush up on current events in Latin American countries with our newspaper databases, available in English and Spanish.
- Learn about LatinX and Hispanic cinema, theatre, art and more using our Fine Arts database.
- Discover the history behind Hispanic traditions, cultural migration, societies, immigration and more using our U.S. History and World History databases.
- Explore Referencia Latina, our full-text Spanish language database that offers content on a broad range of topics from a variety or sources, including magazines and reference books.
- Want to learn Spanish? Check out Mango Languages or Rosetta Stone Library Solution, two online language-learning programs you can use free with your library card.
Choose your next read from our lists of books written by Hispanic American authors.
- Check out our booklists for kids, teens and adults. We also have a list of recommended books in Spanish!
- Download books by Hispanic authors in eBook and eAudiobook formats to enjoy instantly using Overdrive/Libby.
- Looking for more books written by Hispanic and Latinx authors? Use NoveList’s “Advanced Search” feature to generate a list of books by authors with specific ethnicities and cultural identities.
Additional Spanish language community resources and services from Anne Arundel County Public Library Latino Outreach (ALO) can be found on our Hispanohablantes page.
Published September 15, 2024