Celebrating Latino Heritage

Latino Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15) celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.

Southern California has a strong Hispanic history that dates back to 1781 when missionaries from Spain founded “El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de Los Ángeles” (“The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels”). California was later ruled by a newly independent Mexico, and then ceded to the United States on February 2, 1848 after the war between the United States and Mexico ended.