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| A young friend in Mexico |
September 15 through October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! Some
55 million people in the United States identify as Hispanic, making this the
second largest ethnic group.
Why September 15 to October 15? September 15 marks the
anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico celebrates
its independence on September 16 while Chile’s anniversary is September 18.
According to the US government, “The Library of Congress,
National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the
Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian
Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute
to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and
enriched our nation and society.”
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| Mayan ruins, Tikal, Guatemala |
In the Americas, many Hispanic people can trace their roots
back to indigenous peoples. These include the Maya, Inca, Aztec, and others.
Today’s Hispanics may also have roots in the Spanish explorers, the Africans
who were brought to the New World as slaves, and of course many other cultures.
This provides teachers, librarians, homeschooling parents,
and students many options for exploring Hispanic heritage in the Americas.
Middle Grade Novels
and Nonfiction
Unfortunately, there aren’t many historical fiction novels
about the Maya for young people. This
National Geographic post only lists my novel, The Well of Sacrifice, and Seven Serpents Trilogy—Book 1, The Captive by Scott O’Dell as historical fiction
for young people. It also lists a couple of travel books and titles on Mayan
prophecy and myth.
Terra Experience has an extensive page of “Children’s Books on Mayan Culture, Guatemala,
Southern Mexico, Nicaragua, and Latin America.” This site lists many books
about current or historical Mayan people, plus Mayan legends and folk tales.
Most of the books are for younger children, but picture books can work for
middle grade students as well!
A Book In Time has a list of some Books on Early American
Civilizations: Inca, Aztec, Mayan, & other Native Americans.
School
Library Journal has a post from 2009 on The Aztecs, the Inca, and the Maya:
Empires Lost & Found, with fiction and nonfiction for different grades, pus
links to Museum Collections
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| A student project for The Well of Sacrifice |
Resources
To learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month, visit the following
sites:
The National Education Association provides Lesson Plans,
Quizzes, Activities and Background Resources for National
Hispanic Heritage Month, Grades K-5.
The US government site for National Hispanic Heritage Month includes
resources for teachers and a calendar of events, mainly in and around
Washington DC.
The
National Endowment for the Humanities has lesson plans and links to
websites on the conquistadors, the gold rush, the US-Mexican War, prayer to
Ricoh, and much more. A featured lesson plan is for Esperanza Rising: Learning Not to Be Afraid to Start
Over (also available inSpanish).
The PBS Hispanic
Heritage Month site links to episodes about famous Latinos, issues
affecting immigrants, and much more.
Scholastic offers resources
for celebrating the month, including information on Latinos in history and
Hispanic history in the Americas. Scholastic also has Bring
Hispanic Heritage Month to Life: A Collection of Resources and 24
Great Ideas for Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic
Heritage Month includes information on the history of the month, people,
events, and fun facts.
Please add any recommended books or resources in the
comments.
Chris Eboch’s novels for ages nine and up include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in
ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice,
a Mayan adventure; The Genie’s Gift,
a middle eastern fantasy; and the Haunted series, about kids who travel with a
ghost hunter TV show, which starts with The
Ghost on the Stairs.
Her writing craft books include You Can Write for Children: How to Write Great Stories, Articles, and
Books for Kids and Teenagers, and Advanced
Plotting.
Learn more at www.chriseboch.com
or her
Amazon page.
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