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Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States annually from the 15th of September to the 15th of October.

In Hawaii, we have various events across the islands to commemorate this time, including the yearly Hispanic Heritage Festival. Currently, around 11% of the population of Hawaii identifies as Hispanic and it is one of the fastest-growing demographics in the state, increasing more than 80% since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Hispanic people have been coming to Hawaii for over 200 years. In 1831, a cowboy from Spain, Joquin Armas, reached Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii via a Californian whaling ship. Armas quickly began teaching native Hawaiians how to domesticate and catch cattle, which had been introduced over 50 years earlier by British explorer Captain George Vancouver.

Because the Hawaiian language had no “s” in the alphabet, the Hawaiians called Armas the “Paniolo” rather than “Español.” The decades that followed saw the arrival of more Mexican vaqueros who settled in Hawaii. Cattle became the third-most important in Hawaii. 

At around the same time, over 5,000 Puerto Rican men, women, and children traveled to Hawaii to begin working on sugar plantations after two consecutive hurricanes ravaged their home island in 1899. 

Hurricane San Ciriacao decimated Puerto Rican towns and its predominant sugar industry. Eleven groups traveled by boat to New Orleans and then by train to reach another boat in Los Angeles in order to finally arrive to work in Hawaii.

The “Big Five” sugarcane corporations in Hawaii sought to bring workers to Hawai’i in order to meet the new huge demand for sugar. These companies had considerable political power in the newfound Territory of Hawaii. Many Puerto Ricans faced discrimination from the plantation owners and struggled to obtain fair wages and living accommodations.

In 1917, Puerto Ricans in Hawaii . Puerto Rican culture, food, and traditions are still evident in Hawaii — even Puerto Rico’s coqui frog, which was accidentally to Hawaii. 

In our modern age, many Latinos come to the islands driven by military employment or for jobs in the hospitality sector. Notably, a higher percentage of Hispanic people work in the professional sector in Hawaii than when compared to the rest of the mainland, according to Ruben Juarez, a researcher and economics professor at the University of Hawaii. There are also Latin American migrant farm workers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras who work in Hawaii’s agricultural industries including coffee and pineapple farms. 

Spanish-speaking tourists also flock to Hawaii. According to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism of Hawaii, Latin American visitors increased by 122% from 2021 to 2022.

As a consequence, Hispanic-owned businesses continue to flourish and grow on island alongside the Latino population. Latin food markets, like Honolulu’s Mercado de la Raza and authentic Hispanic food trucks, are popular cuisine staples. Catholic mass is also available in Spanish across numerous churches in Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. 

However, for all the restaurants and other cultural exchanges, many Latinos in Hawaii find that services for Spanish speakers are severely lacking. As Civil Beat recently reported, there are only about 90 Spanish language interpreters registered with the Hawaii Judiciary, and other interpreters are needed to help non-English speakers with medical appointments. There is also a lack of Spanish-language community announcements and public signages.

Despite the language barriers, many Hispanic people in Hawaii note that the aloha spirit and Hawaiian values are similar to those of Latin America. There is a shared emphasis on family, social gatherings, and celebrations.

As Rudy Guevarra, Jr., author of “Aloha Compadre: Latinxs in Hawaii” writes, Latinos in Hawaii have established a “Pacific Latinidad” which is different from being an ethnic group in the continental U.S. because their Native Hawaiian culture and cultural values that influence Latinos here. Hispanic history in Hawaii is rich and demonstrates the cross-cultural connections that compose our islands. That should be celebrated this month and every month.