Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which honors the contributions of Hispanic Americans, is being observed through October 15.

This year’s theme is “Hispanic Americans: Embracing, Enriching and Enabling America.”

The United States is home to more than 56 million Hispanic people, or 17.6 percent of the population.

More than 65,600 Postal Service employees — or about 10.3 percent of the USPS workforce — identify as Hispanic or Latino, up from 9.8 percent last year.

Hispanic Americans include individuals who have roots in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Spain, the Dominican Republic, and other Spanish-speaking countries of Central America and South America.

National Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15 because Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua mark their independence on this date. Mexico, Chile and Belize also celebrate their independence during the month.