The City of Chicago experienced the celebration of Mexican\nIndependence Day throughout neighborhoods and in the downtown area, this past\nweek. September and October holds significance for the Latinx and Hispanic\ncommunities, though the cars honking and people dancing in the streets brings\nboth joy to the revelers and frustration to motorists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many Latin American countries celebrate the anniversary of\ntheir independences this month. Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras\nand Nicaragua celebrates September 15th<\/sup>, Mexico on the 16th<\/sup>,\nand Chile on the 18th<\/sup>. Independence observances vary between these\ncountries, but traditionally, many Mexican-American\u2019s stay up the night before\nto watch the Cry of Dolores\/El Grito on their television. This year, due to\nsocial distancing, the Plaza de Z\u00f3calo in Mexico City was empty of their\ncitizens but full of lights and fireworks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These celebrations go hand in hand with National Hispanic\nHeritage Month, which is observed, from September 15-October 15. Through the celebration of independence days,\nwe observe histories, cultures and of course the many contributions from the\nHispanic and Latinx community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The observation of Hispanic Heritage Week started in 1968, under President Lyndon Johnson. This was later expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. This change was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, with the approval of Public Law 100-402.<\/p>\n\n\n\n