Martin Luther King Jr. Cultural Center

Our Campus


Hispanic/Latino Heritage Month

Hispanic Heritage Month begins on September 15, the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries-Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico declared its independence on September 16, and Chile on September 18.

The term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. On the 2000 Census form, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino." More than 35 million people identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino on the 2000 Census.


U.S. Hispanic/Latino Population, Census 2000

National origin Population Percent
Total 35,305,818 100.0%
Mexican (Part of North American Continent) 20,640,711 58.5
Puerto Rican (Only U.S. Mainland Population) 3,406,178 9.6
Cuban 1,241,685 3.5
Dominican (Dominican Republic) 764,945 2.2
Central American (excludes Mexican) 1,686,937 4.8
Costa Rican 68,588 0.2
Costa Rican 68,588 0.2
Guatemalan 372,487 1.1
Honduran 217,569 0.6
Nicaraguan 177,684 0.5
Panamanian 91,723 0.3
Salvadoran 655,165 1.9
Other Central American 103,721 0.3
South American 1,353,562 3.8
Argentinean 100,864 0.3
Bolivian 42,068 0.1
Chilean 68,849 0.2
Colombian 470,684 1.3
Ecuadorian 260,559 0.7
Paraguayan 8,769 0.01
Peruvian 233,926 0.7
Uruguayan 18,804 0.1
Venezuelan 91,507 0.3
Other South American 57,532 0.2
All other Hispanic or Latino 6,211,800 17.6
133 Student Center
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506-0027
Telephone: (859) 257-4130
Fax: (859) 257-7535
Email: mlkcc@uky.edu