Hispanic History Month
September 15 - October 15
Happy Mexican Independence Day!
On September 16th, 1810 Independence Day celebrates the day Miguel Hidalgo is believed to have made the cry of independence (El Grito de la Independence) in the town of Dolores, in the north-central part of the Mexican state of Guanajuato. Hidalgo was on of the nation's leaders during the War of Independence in Mexico.
Did You Know Cinco De Mayo Is Not Mexico's Independence Day?
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, is also known as Battle of Puebla Day. While it is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, in the United States, Cinco de Mayo has evolved into a commemoration of Mexican culture and heritage, particularly in areas with large Mexican-American populations.
What is the difference between Hispanic & Latino?
Hispanic - The term "Hispanic" refers to somebody who speaks the Spanish Language. Hispanics are people from or with ancestors from Spain, Mexico, Central America, and South America. Brazilians are not considered Hispanics, however, because they speak Portuguese.
Latino/a - The term "Latino/a refers to the geographic origin of somebody. Latinos are from or have ancestors from Latin America which includes, Mexico, Central America, and South America. In this case, Brazilians are considered Latino, but people from Spain are not.
Local Artists
Maria Isa
Born and raised in the Twin Cities to NuyoRican parents, emcee, singer, and songwriter Maria Isa is recognized for her dedication towards celebrating her cultural diversity through music and political activism. In 1992 she started her performing arts education at El Arco Iris Center for Arts, forming Raices in 2002 with other advanced students to conserve their ancestral Puerto Rican folklore music.
Xilam Balam
Xilam Balam (b. San Antonio, Texas) is an emerging interdisciplinary contemporary visual artist and music producer whose work is a fusion of Pre-columbian Indigenous art forms and contemporary hip-hop and graphic arts. He is a 2018 Mcknight Ceramics Fellow. He works in a variety of mediums including music, ceramics, painting, screen-printing, stone carving, and epigraphy. Musically, Balam was part of the formative Headshots Crew of Rhymesayers Entertainment, producer of Los Nativos, and continues to produce with Curandero, Lady Xok, and solo projects. His work has been highlighted in Chican@ Hip-Hop Nation: Politics of a New Millennial Mestizaje, The Source Magazine, and on TPT MN Original. He has performed across the country and in Mexico, producing, exhibiting, and teaching locally. Balam is a co-founder of Electric Machete Studios, a Latinx art & music collective, print house, and gallery located in West Side St. Paul with whom he teaches ceramics and screen-printing.
Xavier Tavera
Xavier Tavera, born in Mexico City in 1971 and based in Minneapolis since 1996, is a conscientious and thought-provoking photographer who has made compelling portraits of people from all walks of life; however, he is best known for his nuanced portraits of members of the Latino community. These powerful pictures challenge our notions of race, gender, and class by subverting stereotypes and capturing the humor and pathos in identity itself. Viewers who carefully examine these images can expect to question their own assumptions, biases and prejudices.
Maria Cristina Tavera
María Cristina “Tina” Tavera is a Latinx artist, independent curator, and activist influenced by her transnational upbringing between Minnesota and Mexico. Some of her work draws from a long history of relief prints from Mexico, such as Guadalupe Posada’s late nineteenth century graphic broadsides and satiric illustrations that revealed scandalous legends as well as news events. She incorporates contemporary tales told and retold that can potentially evolve to become legendary lore. Legends are not reliant on the stories’ veracity but instead circulated to share historical phenomena, to explain the supernatural, or to provide cautionary narratives.
Website: https://www.mariacristinatavera.com