Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 with celebrations of the history, culture and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Making A Positive Impact On American Society” and events centered on this theme are being held around the country.

This year, on Sept. 20, the National Park Service hosted the U.S. Department of the Interior's celebratory event at the main Interior building in Washington, D.C. The National Park Service planned and coordinated the program with Interior’s Special Emphasis and Observances Committee. Speakers included Doug Domenech, Interior's deputy chief of Staff; Mary Bomar, director of the National Park Service; Ernest Quintana, Midwest regional director of the National Park Service; and keynote Speaker Soraya Correa, director of the Office of Procurement Operations for the Department of Homeland Security. David Vela, superintendent of George Washington Memorial Parkway, served as master of ceremonies.

Student representatives from the District of Columbia Bell Multicultural Senior High School also participated in the event, and the Latin Jazz Orchestra, Orquesta La Leyenda, provided the music.

“America's cultural diversity is a strength that should be highly valued and respected,” said Bomar in her invitation to this event. “Our observances should be used to understand, appreciate, and acknowledge the ingenuity, creativity, cultural and political experiences of Hispanic Americans and their contributions to this nation.”

The National Park Service has numerous parks, trails and other sites with Hispanic links. They include, among others, Cabrillo NM, Castillo de San Marcos NM, El Morro NM, De Soto NM, Chamizal NM, and Tumacacori NHP. Links to these and other related sites can be found at the National Register of Historic Places Web site: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/hispanic/.

Other Hispanic heritage Web pages include these informative sites:

National Hispanic Heritage Month
http://www.loc.gov/topics/hispanicheritage/index.html

Hispanic Heritage Parks: An Iberian Connection
http://data2.itc.nps.gov/iberiansite/index.htm

Heritage Documentation Programs
http://www.nps.gov/history/hdp/exhibits/hispanic/main.htm