The Postal Service and National Hispanic Heritage Month
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Every year Americans celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month — September 15 to October 15 — by celebrating the history, culture and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week and was expanded 20 years later by President Ronald Reagan to cover a 30-day period.
Several Hispanic anniversaries and celebrations take place during this time frame:
- September 15, the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
- Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively.
- Columbus Day or Día de la Raza is October 12.
Postal officials and Post Offices support local events and, since 1869, 56 Hispanic themed postage stamps have been issued including, most recently, the 42 cent Latin Jazz stamp in 2008.The Postal Service also offers Dinero Seguro, a safe, affordable, convenient method of transferring money internationally. Dinero Seguro enables customers to send up to $2,000 per transaction per day and is available at nearly 3,000 participating Post Office locations. Identification is required for transfers exceeding $800.
The system uses secure, electronic wire transfers between the Postal Service and thousands of participating bank branch offices in destination countries. The recipient's funds are available within 15 minutes, guaranteed, and without hidden or additional fees. Recipients do not need bank accounts and pay no additional fees in their countries. Personal identification is required for the recipients of funds in the participating countries.
Dinero Seguro is provided in partnership with Bancomer Transfer Services Inc. of Houston. Participating financial institutions are:
- Argentina – BBVA Banco Frances
- Colombia – Banco Davivienda, BBVA Colombia
- Dominican Republic – Banco del Progresso
- Ecuador – Banco de Guayaquil, Banco del Austro, Banco Internacional
- El Salvador – Banco Agricola, Banco Credomatic, Banco Salvadoreno
- Guatemala – Banco Industrial, Banco de Desarrollo Rural
- Honduras – Banco Credomatic, Banco Mercantil, FICOHSA
- Mexico – BBVA Bancomer
- Nicaragua – Banco Credomatic, Banpro
- Peru – BBVA Banco Continental
For more information on Dinero Seguro or to find other participating Post Offices, customers can call toll free 888-368-4669 or access usps.com/money/suremoney.
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