Eight-time Grammy Award-winning Cuban Icon Gloria Estefan has won many accolades in her life. Her latest: becoming the first Latina inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Estefan has been topping international charts since the 80s, with hits like her signature “Conga.” And in 1988, she achieved her…

Prior to Hernandez v. The State of Texas in 1954, the 14th amendment only applied to African Americans, granting them citizenship and guaranteeing they had equal protection under the law. This was a necessary measure because after the Civil War, there was still a lot of hatred and…

Known as the “the father of modern-day Miami”, Maurice A. Ferré was elected as the first Hispanic Mayor of Miami on November 8, 1973. He was also the first Puerto Rican to lead a major city on the mainland. During his time as Mayor, he was faced with…

Did you know that the US Navy bombed the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in 1999? The small island is known today as a tropical tourist destination, but it was once the site of a deadly bombing. Vieques is a 63-square-mile island 5 miles from Puerto Rico. Beginning…

Latino children in the 50s and 60s going to school in East L.A. didn’t receive the same quality of education as white children. They were discouraged from pursuing higher education and… …the dropout rate was around 50%. High School teacher, Sal Castro, noted this discrepancy and began teaching…

Before the Mayans and Aztecs indulged in these edible gifts, the Olmec and Toltec women would make them as portable lunches in the army. Turns out, the first evidence of a tamal is over 10,000 years old! Aztecs called tamales ‘tamalii’ which simply means “wrapped food” in Nahuatl. …