Hispanic Heritage Month: ¡Celebrando!

It's that time of year again. That beautiful season of color, celebration, and bountiful sharing. It's a feast for the senses. A loud and wonderful display of nature's capacity to delight and astound. Which is why it's not surprising that Hispanic Heritage Month makes its home between September and October.

Tracing its roots all the way back to 1968, Hispanic Heritage Month is a worldwide celebration of, not just the remarkable independence of Latin America's major countries, but also a boundless tapestry of tradition.

If there is something we truly appreciate within our office, it's the rich, plentiful, and colorful cultures that each of our colleagues bring to the table. Not only do these unique perspectives infuse our designs with a holistically global approach, they also create an environment that is effortlessly creative and exciting to be a part of. Sharing our traditions and finding commonalities between our heritages has, in a way, become a tradition of our very own.

For this year's Hispanic Heritage Month, we're sharing some of our favorite festivities from back home. Here's what our colleagues had to say:

Mexico:

Jenny: "There’s so much I love from my Mexican heritage, from our culture and traditions, to the music, to our parties and the value of family.  But our food without a doubt is the best! Tacos, tamales, mole, pozole, enchiladas to name a few are all comforting and delicious. Accompany it with a shot of Tequila and salud!!"

Dominican Republic:

Alex: "The best part about being Dominican is celebrating the holidays. Nothing beats a house full of our family and friends laughing, bachata and merengue blasting in the background, delicious food like pastelitos and pernil, and of course you can’t forget the coquito!"

Puerto Rico:

Jan: "My favorite Puerto Rican tradition is actually right from my hometown! The Carnaval Ponceño is a wild celebration filled with music, dancing, parades, activities, and the Vejigantes! The Vejigantes are originally from Spain, but ours feature African and Taíno influences which gave them an entirely new feel and meaning!"

Barranquilla, Colombia:

Vivian: "My hometown, Barranquilla, is famous for its colorful carnival. For 4 days the city stops and is immersed in a celebration that can be experienced from literally anywhere in the city. For months, musicians, groups, and artists prepare to show their dances and costumes that are a mixture of our Spanish and African heritage. It is impossible to not feel emotional when hearing a "Tambora" or a "Grupo de Millo" playing live, and even more impossible to not move to their rhythm. "

Argentina:

Julieta: "Something I genuinely admire about Argentina, which never stops surprising me, is how creative and passionate people are, and let's not mention soccer! Our roots are an eclectic mix of strong European influences fused with indigenous tradition, and we mingle more daily with other Latin cultures. The essence of the Latin culture makes me most proud and able to share that bit of it with everyone we relate to and in every project we work on, enriching them with diversity."

Colombia:

Dina: "I love the diversity that my country, Colombia, has! Every corner is full of colors, flavors and smells that literally transport you to those memories of special moments you spend with your family. One of my favorite festivals is The Festival of the Vallenato Legend. It's full of music and food that remind me of my childhood and the innate talent of the Vallenato musicians and their love of our heritage and culture."

Suffice it to say that there's a lot to celebrate in Hispanic Heritage Month. This was just a small slice of the diversity of our colleagues and their incredible stories. Our Architectural Designer, Julieta Guillermet, put it best:

"The Latin culture is energy, color, resilience,  beat, flavor, power, creativity, positivism, earth, emotion, warmness, community etc,. It is a culture where you will always feel welcome. It's the essence of the Latin culture that makes me most proud, and being able to share that bit of it with everyone we relate to and in every project we work, enriching them by diversity."