Latino History Bee 2025

Who is the Nicaraguan author and poet who joined the Sandinistas in the struggle against the Somoza dictatorship? She has written many significant books, such as "The Inhabited Woman" which discussed gendered issues during her work with the Sandinistas.

• Gioconda Belli

• Clarice Lispector

• Gabriela Mistral

• Isabel Allende

What is the name of the author and Emmy Award winning journalist whose work focuses on issues affecting Latinos in the U.S. and Latin America? She was a correspondent for Vice and is a contributor to Telemundo and MSNBC.

• Paola Ramos

• Maria Elena Salinas

• Julián Castro

• Soledad O'Brien

Name the three largest pre-columbian cultures in the Americas.

• Maya, Azteca and Inca

• Olmec, Toltec and Chavin

• Inuit, Cherokee and Sioux

• Hopi, Navajo and Apache

What contemporary Chilean writer is known for her many novels that focus on Latin American history and culture and the lives of women. She sometimes uses magical realism in her novels. Her works have been translated into numerous languages and have been called the most widely read Spanish-Language author. Her books include, "The House of Spirits" (1982), "Eva Luna" (1987), "Daughter of Fortune" (1999), and "City of Beasts" (2002).

• Gabriel García Márquez

• Isabel Allende

• Mario Vargas Llosa

• Pablo Neruda

What is the name of the French born Mexican journalist and author whose work focuses on the lives of women and the poor in their struggles for social justice? Her first major book was "La noche de Tlatelolco (Massacre in Mexico night of Tlatelolco)" documented the student movement of 1968 and the night that the government repression followed. She was the first woman to win Mexico's national prize for journalism.

• Elena Poniatowska

• Gabriela Mistral

• Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz

• Laura Esquivel

What holiday do many Mexicans celebrate on the first and second of November?

• Day of the Dead

• Cinco de Mayo

• Independence Day

• Christmas

What Mexican American actor is known for playing several important Latino roles and for making movies about Mexican Americans and Latino themes? His movies include Zoot Suit, Con Ganas de Triunfar, Selena, Blade Runner and for his starring role in the popular 1980s television series, "Miami Vice."

• Edward James Olmos

• Antonio Banderas

• Benicio del Toro

• Gael García Bernal

She is known as the "diva of the banda" and was a singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, and Mexican-American producer. In December 2012, she dies in a plane crash.

• Selena Quintanilla

• Jenni Rivera

• Thalía

• Gloria Trevi

This Latina from La Puente, CA served as the 25th United States Secretary of Labor from February 24, 2009 to January 22, 2013, as part of the Obama administration. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 2001-2009, representing congressional districts of California that include East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. She is currently a member of the Los Angeles County board of Supervisors.

• Hilda Solis

• Cecilia Muñoz

• Sonia Sotomayor

• Nina Vaca

This woman was born on June 22, 1919 in Puerto Rico, and grew up in New York City. Despite facing discrimination and prejudice due to her gender and ethnicity, she was the first Hispanic woman to serve in the U.S. Women's Army Corps which was established during World War II.

• Carmen Contreras Bozak

• Dolores Huerta

• Ellen Ochoa

• Sonia Sotomayor