Trailblazers & History Makers
This Bronx-born legal scholar of Puerto Rican descent made history as the first Hispanic justice appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Who is Sonia Sotomayor?
This Texas-born superstar broke records with hits like "Como la Flor" and "Amor Prohibido" before her tragic death in 1995.
Who is Selena?
Set during Día de los Muertos, this vibrant 2017 Pixar animated film follows a 12-year-old aspiring musician who crosses over into the Land of the Dead.
What is Coco?
in the Andes mountains of Peru, this 15th-century Incan citadel remained largely hidden from the outside world until American explorer Hiram Bingham brought it to international attention in 1911.
What is Machu Picchu?
Popular across Latin America for birthdays and family gatherings, this ultra-moist sponge cake gets its name from being soaked in a sweet mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream.
What is tres leches cake?
A civil rights icon who coined the rallying cry "¡Sí, se puede!", she co-founded the National Farm Workers Association alongside César Chávez in 1962.
Who is Dolores Huerta?
Famed for her powerhouse catchphrase "¡Azúcar!", this Havana-born international icon earned 4 Grammy Awards and was revered as the undisputed "Queen of Salsa."
Who is Celia Cruz?
Of Puerto Rican descent, this multi-hyphenate creator earned 16 Tony nominations and a Pulitzer Prize for writing and starring as the titular founding father in Hamilton.
Who is Lin-Manuel Miranda?
This ancient Maya city, located on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
What is Chichén Itzá?
Dating back to ancient Mesoamerica, this portable dish consists of seasoned masa and savory fillings wrapped in a corn husk or banana leaf and steamed to perfection
What is a tamale (or tamal)?
In 1993, this engineer and classical flutist flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-56, becoming the first Hispanic woman to travel to space.
Who is Ellen Ochoa?
In 1998, Puerto Rican artist Elvis Crespo took over dance floors worldwide with this infectious, chart-topping anthem named for kissing someone "smoothly."
What is "Suavemente"?
American prime-time shows like Jane the Virgin and Ugly Betty were directly adapted from, or served as satirical homages to, this popular Latin American melodramatic TV genre.
What is a telenovela?
Founded in 1541 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia in the Mapocho River valley against the backdrop of the Andes, this sprawling metropolis is the capital and largest city of Chile.
What is Santiago?
Thousands of years before becoming a European diet staple through the Columbian Exchange, thousands of native varieties of this tuber—from purple to golden yellow—were first domesticated by Indigenous peoples in the Andean highlands of southern Peru and northwestern Bolivia.
What is the papa (potato)?
In 1947, this landmark California civil rights court case successfully challenged school segregation for Mexican-American children, setting a key precedent for Brown v. Board of Education.
What is Mendez v. Westminster?
In April 2023, Bad Bunny made festival history by becoming the very first Spanish-language and Latin American solo artist to headline this premier California music and arts festival.
What is Coachella?
In 1999, fresh off her breakout crossover hit "If You Had My Love," this Bronx native became the very first Latina musical artist featured solo on the cover of American Vogue.
Who is Jennifer Lopez?
Flourishing across southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western Honduras, this Mesoamerican civilization was the only pre-Columbian society in the Americas known to develop a fully realized, phonetic written script.
Who are the Mayans?
Long before it was sweetened into confections in Europe, fermented, roasted, and frothed beverages made from this indigenous Mesoamerican bean were consumed as sacred, bitter energy tonics by Maya and Aztec elites.
What is cacao (or chocolate)?
In 1911, this sports franchise made MLB history by signing Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans, widely recognized as two of the very first Latino players in modern Major League Baseball.
Who are the Cincinnati Reds?
This Colombian superstar became the first artist to perform at three consecutive FIFA World Cups, famously singing the official 2010 South Africa tournament anthem, "Waka Waka"
Who is Shakira?
Propelled by her massive 2022 album Motomami, this boundary-pushing Catalan artist made history in January 2023 by becoming the first Spanish-singing female musician featured on the global solo cover of Rolling Stone.
Who is Rosalía?
Located on the offshore Puerto Rican island of Vieques, Mosquito Bay earned a Guinness World Record as the brightest of this specific type of natural aquatic wonder, powered by billions of dinoflagellates.
What is a bioluminescent bay?
Far more than a simple cookout, this social gathering and slow-grilling ritual over open wood embers is considered a cornerstone of national culture in Argentina and Uruguay.
What is an asado?