Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by testing your knowledge of Hispanic history, culture, and popular culture! There are five trivia quizzes in total.
You’re encouraged to use resources found at the Nevins Library and through our website.
Did you get all of the trivia questions right? Check out the three awesome books lists we have that contain Hispanic stories and authors.
Want to find more awesome quizzes written by our Nevins Library librarians? Check out our Facebook page. Every Friday a new Quiz is posted!
Week 1
Who was the first Hispanic actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, awarded for his 1950 portrayal of Cyrano de Bergerac in the movie with the same name?
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José Ferrer
Which country’s army did the Mexican army defeat in The Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862? Cinco de Mayo is celebrated to commemorate this victory.
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The French Army
Who was the first Mexican-American poet to be named Poet Laureate, in 2015?
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Juan Felipe Herrera
Which author won the award for Novel of the Year in Chile in 1983, for her debut novel, La Casa de los Espíritus, or The House of the Spirits?
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Isabel Allende
Which Puerto Rican singer helped bring reggaeton and trap music to a wider audience, with songs like “Diles” and “Soy Peor”? His real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
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Bad Bunny
Week 2
Which Mexican painter, best known for her self portraits, painted art pieces such as Self-Portrait Wearing a Velvet Dress in 1926 and Self-Portrait with Portrait of Dr. Farill in 1951?
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Frida Khalo
Who is regarded as the father of Uruguayan independence for his resistance efforts to keep Argentina from absorbing Uruguay from 1814-1819?
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José Gervasio Artigas
Which Dominican-American author was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2013 for her extraordinary storytelling? This author has written several books, including How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Tía Lola series.
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Julia Alvarez
Who was the first Hispanic person, and woman of color, to serve as an American Supreme Court Justice, nominated by Barack Obama in 2009, following the retirement of Justice David Souter?
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Sonia Sotomayor
Who was the first baseball player from Latin America to be elected the American League Rookie of the Year, in 1956?
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Luis Aparicio
Week 3
Which Cuban-American singer was known as the Queen of Salsa Music and was the first black front person of the popular orchestra, La Sonora Matancera?
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Celia Cruz
Which Mexican labor leader was instrumental in changing the working conditions of migrant workers on American farms? He organized poor farm laborers into the nations first successful union of agricultural workers, the National Farm Workers Association, which was the forerunner of the United Farm Workers of America (UFW).
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Cesar Chavez
Which Colombian author helped make magical realism popular, with his book One Hundred Years of Solitude?
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Gabriel García Márquez
Who was Central America’s first female president, who served as president of Nicaragua from 1990 to 1997?
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Violeta Barrios de Chamorro
Which Mexican director, screenwriter, and producer is known for imbuing horror and fantasy films with emotional and thematic complexity, as in movies such as El Laberinto de Fauno or Pan’s Labyrinth and El Espinazo del Diablo or The Devil’s Backbone?
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Guillermo del Toro
Week 4
Which Cuban ballerina is highly regarded for her convincing portrayals of leading roles in the great works of classical and Romantic ballet? She choreographed Swan Lake for the Ballet de Cuba, a ballet company she founded.
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Alicia Alonso
Who was the Argentine revolutionary who championed insurrection against dictatorship and U.S. imperialism throughout Latin America? His book Guerrilla Warfare, published in 1960, offered a practical guide for aspiring revolutionaries.
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Ernesto “Che” Guevara
Which Dominican-American young adult author is known for writing poetry and books in verse, like The Poet X and Clap When You Land?
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Elizabeth Acevedo
Which Puerto Rican actress and singer is the highest paid Latina actress in the history of Hollywood? She stared in several movies, including Selena in 1997, and Marry Me in 2022.
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Jennifer Lopez
Which Puerto Rican baseball player was named the most valuable player (MVP) in the National League in 1966 and was also known for his humanitarian work?
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Roberto Clemente
Week 5
The play Evita is loosely based on events of which famous Argentine’s life?
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Eva Perón
Who was the leader of the Mexican army who reclaimed the Alamo from Texan reels, following a 13-day battle in 1836? This battle is known as the Battle of the Alamo and occurred during the Texan war for independence from Mexico.
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Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna
Which Nicaraguan poet is often considered one of the best Spanish language poets and is known for publishing works such as Azul, published in 1888 and Cantos de Vida y Esperanza, published in 1905?
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Rubén Darío
What year did Panama assume full control of the Panama Canal?
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1999
Which Dominican baseball player helped the Red Sox win the 2004 World Series with his batting?
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David Ortiz