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1513-1521: Juan Ponce de León arrives in Florida -

In 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León reached the Florida coast for the first time. He claimed the territory for the Spanish crown. Legend has it that he was searching for the Fountain of Youth. Juan Ponce de León returned to America in 1521 to establish a colony, but the native Calusa people fought back against the invasion. The Spaniards retreated to Cuba, where Ponce de León died that same year. 

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1565: Spanish rule begins -

In 1565, Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez de Avilés landed in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The city was under Spanish rule for 256 years.

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1609-1610: Don Pedro de Peralta founds Santa Fe -

Conquistador Don Pedro de Peralta founded the city of Santa Fe, which became the capital of New Mexico. Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States.

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1718: The Alamo is built -

The Mission San Antonio de Valero, better known as the Alamo, was founded by Spanish missionary Antonio de Olivares on May 1, 1718.

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1822: Florida becomes a US territory -

Florida became a territory of the United States in 1822, and on September 30, Joseph Marion Hernández became its first delegate. Hernández was the first Hispanic member of Congress.

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1836: The Battle of the Alamo -

The Battle of the Alamo came to an end after 13 days of siege. Mexican President and General Antonio López de Santa Anna stormed the Alamo and killed all the Texans inside. The Republic of Texas, ruled by English-speaking settlers, was formed. It enjoyed its independence for a few years, but was then annexed by the United States in 1845.

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1846-1848: The Mexican-American War -

Following the annexation of Texas, a dispute over border control arose, leading to the Mexican-American War. The war came to an end with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The border between Texas and Mexico was established, and control of a number of territories was given to the US, including California, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, most of Colorado and Arizona, and part of Oklahoma, Kansa, and Wyoming.

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1898: The Spanish-American War -

The Spanish-American War began on April 21 and ended on December 10, 1898. This war brought an end to Spain's colonial rule over the Americas. Spain granted Cuba independence and ceded Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam to the United States. 

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1910-1917: The Mexican Revolution -

Thousands of Mexicans fled the Mexican Revolution and crossed the border to the US. El Paso, Texas, was the main gateway for immigrants, which became known as the "Mexican Ellis Island."

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1917: Puerto Ricans receive US citizenship -

Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Shortly after, about 20,000 Puerto Ricans were drafted to serve during the First World War. Many ended up guarding the Panama Canal. 

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1928: First Hispanic senator in the US -

Octaviano Ambrosio Larrazolo was sworn in as the nation’s first Hispanic senator on December 7, 1928. Before running for the US Senate, Larrazolo served as the fourth governor of New Mexico.

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1941-1945: Half a million Mexican Americans serve in WWII -

Over 500,000 Mexican Americans served in the military during World War II. However, only 13 Medals of Honor were awarded to Latinos during the conflict. (Pictured is Mexican-American soldier Cleto Rodríguez.)

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1942: The Bracero Program -

The US and Mexico sign the controversial Mexican Farm Labor Agreement, aka the Bracero Program. The aim was to fill labor shortages in the US during World War II. Millions of Mexican men came to work in the US under the program.

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1943: The Zoot Suit Riots -

Racial tensions led to the Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles. Violence erupted when US servicemen targeted young Mexican Americans dressed in stylish zoot suits, which they deemed unpatriotic during WWII while fabric was being rationed. 

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1947: The end of segregation in California schools -

Segregation in California public schools comes to an end in 1947. The ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made history following a court case where children were denied entrance to an elementary school because they were Mexican.

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1954: 14th Amendment rights -

The US Supreme Court rules that Mexican-Americans have equal protection under the law. A farm worker named Pete Hernandez was indicted for murder by an all-Anglo grand jury in Texas. His attorney claimed discrimination and the Supreme Court agreed that those of Mexican ancestry should also be protected under the 14th Amendment.

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1954: Operation Wetback -

Operation Wetback leads to the deportation of over a million Mexican immigrants. “Wetback” was a pejorative term used to refer to Mexican immigrants who entered the country by swimming across the Rio Grande River.

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1959: The death of Ritchie Valens -

On February 3, 1959, the first Mexican-American rock ‘n’ roll star, Ritchie Valens, dies in a plane crash, together with musicians Buddy Holly and "The Big Bopper" J.P. Richardson near Clear Lake, Iowa. The 17-year-old musician had just found success with hits such as ‘La Bamba’ and ‘Donna.’ The event became known as "The Day the Music Died."

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1966: The Delano grape strike -

Director of the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), Cesar Chavez, together with 75 Latino and Filipino farm workers, went on strike. They marched from Delano to Sacramento, where they were met by a huge crowd. The aim was to fight against the exploitation of farm workers by grape growers.

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1973: Spanish recognized as second language of Miami -

In 1973, Spanish became Miami’s second official language. A new department of bilingual and bicultural affairs was created. That same year, Maurice Ferré was elected Miami's first Hispanic mayor.

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1973: Roberto Clemente inducted into Baseball Hall of Fame -

Puerto Rican baseball right fielder Roberto Clemente is posthumously inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Clemente was the first Latin-American baseball player to be inducted.

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1975: Ballots in Spanish -

Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is amended. The change made provisions for bilingual ballots to be placed in certain areas, most of which are in Spanish.

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1980: Mariel boatlift -

The Mariel boatlift mass emigration took place between April and October pf 1980, after Fidel Castro allowed Cuban citizens to emigrate to the US. About 125,000 Cuban refugees reached Florida.

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1988: The first Hispanic cabinet member -

Lauro Cavazos was sworn in as the Secretary of Education, becoming the first-ever Hispanic cabinet member.

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1989: The first Hispanic woman in Congress -

In 1989 Cuban immigrant Ileana Ros-Lehtinen became the first Hispanic woman elected to Congress.

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1990: The first Hispanic Surgeon General -

In 1990, Antonia Novello became the first woman and first Hispanic person to serve as Surgeon General.

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1993: The first Hispanic woman in space -

Three years later, Ellen Ochoa became the first Hispanic woman to go to space.

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1993: The first Hispanic Secretary of Transportation -

Denver's first Hispanic mayor, Federico Peña, is sworn in as Secretary of Transportation; the first Hispanic person to hold the post.

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1994: Proposition 187 -

California passes Proposition 187. The ballot initiative intended to create a system for teachers, law enforcement, and health care professionals to report the immigration status of people to "prevent illegal aliens in the United States from receiving benefits or public services in the State of California." This was followed by protests and legal action, and was officially voided in 1999.

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2003: The largest minority group in the US -

In 2003, US Census Bureau numbers showed that Hispanics were the nation’s largest minority group, with a population of 37 million. This was slightly higher than America's Black population, which stood at 36.2 million at the time.

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2009: The first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice -

Sonia Sotomayor is sworn in as the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.

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2011: Major population growth -

More than half the population increase in the US between 2000 and 2010 was due to the 43% growth of the Hispanic population, according to a report from the US Census Bureau.

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2021: The first Secretary of Education of Puerto Rican descent -

Miguel Cardona becomes the first person of Puerto Rican descent to become US Secretary of Education.

Sources: (History) (Britannica) (Pew Research Center) (Huff Post)

See also: Key events in US immigration history

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