| Dear Fellow Genealogist,
In the sleepy village of Dolores, Mexico, church bells rang out in the wee hours of the morning. Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla was summoning his parishioners and issuing them a call—not to prayer, but to revolution.
Though Hidalgo’s exact words have been lost to history, the gist of his 1810 speech El Grito de Independencia (The Independence Cry) survives: “Death to the Spaniards! Long live Our Lady of Guadalupe!”
Mexico ultimately won its independence in 1821. And its success led to more cries for revolution. On September 15, 1821—nearly 11 years to the day since Hidalgo’s proclamation—the provinces that would become Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador declared their independence from Spain, too.
Those five countries now celebrate September 15 as Independence Day; Mexico celebrates its on September 16, the anniversary of Hidalgo’s speech. Together, the holidays serve as the basis for National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins today and extends through October 15.
The feature article below includes a history of Hispanic Heritage Month—plus links to our resources for genealogy research in Mexico, Central America and South America.
You can declare “independence” for your ancestors in a different sense using this newsletter’s tips for avoiding identity mistakes. We also share information on subscription plans at Ancestry.com, where you can find Mexican censuses, Catholic Church records from throughout Central America, and more.
Brushing up on his Spanish,
— Andrew, Editor of Family Tree Magazine
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