Let Hispanic Heritage Month inspire your next vacation destination
As Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15, the opportunity to uplift the often under-told stories of those existing at the intersection of Black and Hispanic cultural identities presents itself anew. Whether it’s traveling to visit a destination steeped in Afro-Latin heritage, or making room to incorporate and appreciate Afro-Latin culture at home, September is a great time to reflect and recommend experiences.
Visit an Afro-Latin city
To have an immersive experience that introduces you to the Black side of a Latin American country’s culture, seek out a city with a majority Black population to experience a whole different world of flavor. Check out the following cities for a travel experience drenched in melanin:
- Colombia: Cali, Cartagena, Quibdó,
- Guatemala: Livingston
- Honduras: Roatan
- Costa Rica: Límon
- Ecuador: Esmeraldas
- Cuba: Havana
- Mexico: Cuajinicuilapa
- Panama: Cólon
- Brazil: Salvador
Tune in to Afro-Latin causes
Given the intersectional impacts of racism, xenophobia and exploitation on the axis of Global North-South imbalances, Afro-Latin people are faced with a uniquely difficult set of challenges when it comes to attaining the same rights and freedoms that others take for granted. The following organizations target Afro-Latin intersections of identity in how they attempt to combat immigration injustice, create cultural awareness and affect marginalized women of Afro-Latin identity:
- Black Alliance for Just Immigration
- International Society of Black Latinos
- AfroResistance
- Afro-Latin@ Forum
Enjoy Afro-Latin cultural products
Dance: Many of the dance forms that are commonly associated with Latin America in the United states are actually Afro-Latin cultural contributions. Salsa, Samba, Rumba, Cumbia, Bachata and more all have ties to West African rhythms, dance steps imported by enslaved people and a legacy enshrined by Black dancers, whose steps have often been repackaged and presented as white inventions. Taking a class or following a basic tutorial on YouTube can be a fun way to begin appreciating this dimension of Afro-Latin culture.
Food: The cultural connections between Latin America and the African influence brought over by enslaved people is abundantly evident at mealtime. Staple heritage dishes from around Latin America like Mangú (Dominican Republic), Mofongo (Puerto Rico), Tapado (Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua) and Quimbombo (Cuba) echo African foodways in terms of preparation techniques and favored ingredients.
Modern Entertainment: Given the American tendency to look at public figures through a Black-and-white lens, the contributions of Afro-Latin entertainers are often lost as their identity is subsumed by this construct. In recent years, actors like Colman Domingo, who won an Emmy for his role in Euphoria this year and is of Guatemalan heritage, Tessa Thompson, who stars in Thor: Love and Thunder and is of Mexican and Panamanian ancestry and Ariana DeBose, who stars in West Side Story and is of Puerto Rican background are making waves in entertainment while receiving little acknowledgment for the ways that their intersectional identities bring new facets of diversity to the main stage.
This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 8:00 AM with the headline "Let Hispanic Heritage Month inspire your next vacation destination."