Cue the mariachi, salsa, merengue, bachata, samba, cumbia music: Hispanic Heritage Month 2009 begins tomorrow.

Fab fact: In 2007, 64% of people in the United States of Hispanic origin were of Mexican background. Another 9 percent were of Puerto Rican sangre; 3.5 percent were cubanos; 3.1 percent were Salvardoran, 2.7 percent dominicanos. The remainder, according to the U.S. Census Bureau were from other countries in Central and South America or other Latino origin.

You can find many, many more census figures on income, education, family and language at the Census.gov site.

Keep an eye out for CNN’s documentary: Latino in America (your el buzz editor was interviewed, so let’s see if she ends up “in” or “out” as Heidi would say…) The series premieres in October and is hosted by the Australian, Irish, Afro-Cuban Soledad O’Brien. Good stuff already up at the site.

USA Today listed 10 ay, que rico places to go get your gastro Latin on, including Bomberos Cafe & Wine Bar in Phoenix, Andina Restaurant in Portland; and Seviche in Louisville.

And, here’s a great little history lesson in Hispanic Heritage Month by Barry Abisch via KTVQ.com and Hispanic Trending.

“It is not by accident that the month starts on the 15th day of September, rather than, more conventionally, on the first. Sept. 15 is independence day in five Spanish-speaking nations: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. (Mexico and Chile also celebrate the anniversaries of their independence from Spain during this month, on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18, respectively.)”

And announcing a sometime Tiki Tiki award of dubious distinction: The Chancletaso, which we will give from time to time to those who se lo merecen.
Today’s Chancletaso goes to: Kanye West.
Who is next?