Arts
First Latino to win an Academy Award,Oscar, for Best Actor: in 1950, for his role in Cyrano De Bergerac
José Ferrer
This Andean revolutionary led the largest indigenous uprising against colonial rule in Peru, invoking the name of his Inca ancestor to fight for justice.
Tupac Amaru II
This Mexican novel by Juan Rulfo features a town populated by the dead.
Pedro Páramo
This Brazilian martial art serves as a form of resistance and cultural expression by combining elements of dance, acrobatics, and music.
Capoeira
The Huichol people of Mexico are especially known for this intricate type of colorful artwork made with beads or yarn.
Huichol beadwork (or yarn art)
The success of his 1999 album made him the first male Latin artist in history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. He was also the first and only artist to enter the US Hot Latin Songs Chart in Five different decades.
Ricky Martin
As president of Mexico in the 1930s, this leader enacted land reform, welcomed refugees from the Spanish Civil War, and nationalized the country’s oil industry.
Lázaro Cárdenas
This Dominican-American author blends folklore, science fiction, and trauma in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
Junot Díaz
Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time. By the time he retired in 2016, this Dominican-American player was fourth all-time in home runs (696) and third in RBIs (2,086).
Alex Rodriguez
This modern movement in Mexico, based in Chiapas, demands Indigenous rights and autonomy.
Zapatista movement
This Mexican-born cinematographer won Oscars for Gravity, The Revenant, and Roma.
Emmanuel Lubezki
This Costa Rican president defied global norms by abolishing the military, using those funds to invest in education, healthcare, and democratic institutions.
José Figueres Ferrer
This Puerto Rican poet wrote Puerto Rican Obituary, a searing poem about Nuyorican identity.
Pedro Pietri
Made history for being the first Latina prima ballerina in the U.S. She’s played Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and countless other roles.
Evelyn Cisneros
Meaning “sweat lodge,” this traditional steam bath is used in Indigenous healing ceremonies in Mesoamerica.
Temazcal