Today, the Latino population in the United States is over 60 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. We make up 18.9% of the total population, the largest racial or ethnic group in the country. Our presence moves the nation's economy and imagination. The economic output of American Latinos would rank fifth in the world if measured as its own country. Yet Latino representation in Congress and other positions of power remains disproportionately low. Our work stands visible in the buildings we constructed, the fields we harvest, the businesses we grew. Whether or not we have papers, we've always had buying power.
Established in 1968 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates Latin American influence in the United States. Johnson wrote: "The people of Hispanic descent are the heirs of missionaries, captains, soldiers, and farmers who were motivated by a young spirit of adventure, and a desire to settle freely in a free land. This heritage is ours."
Johnson recognized the power Latinoamerica had on the US just as Latinoamerica has been shaped by US intervention. Coups, economic policies, and wars destabilized nations. The forces that displaced us now deny our presence. Latinos are descendants of both the conquered and the conquerors. We've created our own belonging between worlds.
Herencia is memory in motion passed through generations in language, work, and spirit. Laughter is our medicine in the face of grief and violence. Resiliencia es mi herencia.
In 2005 Ángel Juarez opened El Potrero Market in Midvale. In 2006 Eli Madrigal opened the first Rancho Markets in South Salt Lake with $170,000 borrowed from two friends. Around the same time Anaya's Market opened. These mercados grew because the community invested in them and they invested back.
The right chile means the difference between a recipe working or not. Plátanos at the right ripeness for how you need to cook them. Piñatas that hold enough for a real celebration. A taste of traditional made at home. These aren't specialty items. They're what makes a meal or a moment possible. You can't find them with the same variety or authenticity in a corporate aisle that treats them like novelty.
First generation kids grew up tasting what their parents couldn't forget. The stores grew with us. By 2025 El Potrero has two locations across the valley. Rancho Markets has ten. Anaya's expanded too. All three stayed rooted in the neighborhoods they started in even as they expanded.
Our growth is directly tied to the food we consume. They brought home. We brought our paychecks. Twenty years of that exchange turned small shops into chains.
In Utah more than 25,000 Hispanic business owners contribute $9.6 billion annually to the state's economy. We're 1 in 5 residents in Salt Lake County. Nationwide Hispanics start 8 out of 10 new businesses.
Our economic power isn't theoretical. It shows up when we withdraw it. And it shows up when we direct it intentionally. Every purchase is a vote for what kind of economy you want. Not because you owe anyone anything. Because you're choosing where your power goes.
On February 3, 2025 Latino-owned businesses across Salt Lake City joined the nationwide "Day Without Immigrants" protest. El Potrero closed both locations. Rancho Markets closed. So did La Casa de Tamal, Señor Pollo, Luna Coffee, Pollo Azteca. The impact was immediate. One business owner reported significantly fewer Latino customers at his car dealership that month due to fear in the community. Restaurants sat empty. The economy registered the weight of our presence and absence.
Our worth isn't tied to how much we're paid or what industries we work in. But where we spend our money? That matters. That's strategy. When your dollars go to Rancho instead of a corporate chain, you're funding what took two decades to build. You're keeping money moving through your community instead of extracting it.
Hispanic Heritage Month ends today. El Potrero, Rancho, Anaya's - they stay open tomorrow. And next month. And next year. The phrase Resilencia es mi herencia lives past October because it was never about a month. It's our lived experience as Latinos and immigrants.
You already know this if you've watched someone in your family navigate systems that weren't built for them and build their own anyway. If you've seen businesses grow in your neighborhood. If you've felt the difference between shopping somewhere that sees you versus somewhere that tolerates you.
Three stores became chains in 20 years because families kept showing up. $9.6 billion in annual economic contribution because 25,000+ business owners in Utah chose to build. Your family's purchasing decisions somewhere in those numbers.
Where you spend isn't just personal. It's political. It's how you vote for what continues to grow. The stores that answered when your mom called in Spanish. The businesses that hired from your community. The places that stocked what you actually needed without being asked.
The inheritance isn't just what was given to you. It's what you choose to sustain. Where you direct your economic power. What you build when you enter your own new territory. The story you tell about what's here and what comes after.
Heritage is what reached you. Resilience is how you carry it forward.
Sources:
- U.S. Census Bureau population and demographic data
- Lyndon B. Johnson's 1968 Hispanic Heritage Week Proclamation
- Utah Multicultural Commission: Eli Madrigal profile
- KUER: "Day Without Immigrants" coverage, February 3, 2025
- Utah Business: Latino-Owned Businesses Are On The Rise In Utah (25,000+ businesses, $9.6B contribution)
- U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (8 out of 10 new businesses statistic)
- U.S. Department of Treasury reports on Latino economic impact
