Hispanic Subjects on United States Postage Stamps
The first U.S. stamp to portray Hispanic subjects was the fifteen-cent Landing of Columbus stamp issued in 1869, which pictured a group of Spanish explorers standing next to Christopher Columbus. In addition to being one of the first pictorial stamps issued, the Landing of Columbus stamp was the first bicolored stamp (red and blue).
The first stamp specifically to honor a Hispanic American was the one-dollar David G. Farragut stamp issued in 1903. Since then, many stamps have been issued to honor Hispanics and their contributions.
Below is a list of those stamps along with their denomination and date of issue.
| Subject | Denomination | Date Issued |
|---|---|---|
| Landing of Columbus | 15¢ | April 2, 1869 (earliest known use) |
| Columbian Exposition (16 designs) | 1¢ - $5 | January 2, 1893 |
| David G. Farragut | $1 | June 5, 1903 |
| Panama Pacific Exposition (4 designs) | 1, 2, 5 and 10¢ | January 1, 1913 |
| Texas Centennial (the Alamo) | 3¢ | March 2, 1936 |
| Navy: David G. Farragut and David D. Porter, Hartford and Powhatan | 3¢ | February 18, 1937 |
| Territorial: Puerto Rico | 3¢ | November 25, 1937 |
| Panama Canal | 3¢ | August 15, 1939 |
| Famous Americans, Composers: John Philip Sousa | 2¢ | May 3, 1940 |
| Pan American Union | 3¢ | April 14, 1940 |
| Coronado Expedition | 3¢ | September 7, 1940 |
| Puerto Rico Election | 3¢ | April 27, 1949 |
| Gadsden Purchase | 3¢ | December 30, 1953 |
| Liberty: The Alamo | 9¢ | June 14, 1956 |
| Simon Bolivar (2 designs) | 4 and 8¢ | July 24, 1958 |
| José de San Martin (2 designs) | 4 and 8¢ | February 25, 1959 |
| Liberty: Palace of Governors | 1 ¼ ¢ | June 17, 1960 |
| Mexican Independence | 4¢ | September 16, 1960 |
| Alliance for Progress | 5¢ | August 17, 1963 |
| Settlement of Florida | 5¢ | August 28, 1965 |
| California Settlement | 6¢ | July 16, 1969 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | 8¢ | September 12, 1971 |
| Historic Preservation: San Xavier del Bac Mission | 8¢ | October 29, 1971 |
| First Civil Settlement, Alta, California | 13¢ | September 9, 1977 |
| General Bernardo de Galvez, Battle of Mobile | 15¢ | July 23, 1980 |
| Ponce de León | 20¢ | October 12, 1982 |
| American Sports Personalities: Roberto Clemente | 20¢ | August 17, 1984 |
| Hispanic Americans | 20¢ | October 31, 1984 |
| Junipero Serra | 44¢ | August 22, 1985 |
| Great Americans: Luis Muñoz Marin, Governor, Puerto Rico | 5¢ | February 18, 1990 |
| Great Americans: Dennis Chavez, United States Senator | 35¢ | April 3, 1991 |
| World Columbian Stamp Expo | 29¢ | January 24, 1992 |
| First Voyage of Columbus (4 designs) | 29¢ | April 24, 1992 |
| The Voyages of Columbus (16 designs on 6 sheets) | 1¢ - $5 | May 22, 1992 |
| Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo | 29¢ | September 28, 1992 |
| Legends of Music, Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues: Ritchie Valens | 29¢ | June 16, 1993 |
| Columbus Landing in Puerto Rico | 29¢ | November 19, 1993 |
| Civil War: David Farragut | 32¢ | June 29, 1995 |
| Padre Félix Varela | 32¢ | September 1, 1997 |
| Celebrate the Century, 1910s: Panama Canal Opens | 32¢ | February 3, 1998 |
| Cinco de Mayo | 32¢ | April 16, 1998 |
| Spanish Settlement of the Southwest | 32¢ | July 11, 1998 |
| Celebrate the Century, 1950s: "I Love Lucy" (Desi Arnaz) | 33¢ | May 26, 1999 |
| Cinco de Mayo | 33¢ | April 27, 1999 |
| Legends of Baseball: Roberto Clemente | 33¢ | July 6, 2000 |
| Artists: Frida Kahlo | 34¢ | June 21, 2001 |
| Cesar E. Chavez | 37¢ | April 23, 2003 |
| American Treasures: New Mexico Rio Grande Blankets (4 designs, including Spanish and Mexican) | 37¢ | July 30, 2005 |
| Let's Dance/Bailemos (4 designs) | 37¢ | September 17, 2005 |
| Madonna and Child with Bird, by Ignacio Chacón | 39¢ | October 17, 2006 |
| Mendez v. Westminster | 41¢ | September 14, 2007 |
| American Journalists: Ruben Salazar | 42¢ | April 22, 2008 |
| Latin Jazz | 42¢ | August 8, 2008 |
| Literary Arts: Julia de Burgos | 44¢ | September 14, 2010 |
Since 2011, all commemorative stamps for the First-Class Mail one-ounce rate have been Forever stamps, equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. The value given in parentheses was the price of the stamp when first issued.
| Subject | Denomination | Date Issued |
|---|---|---|
| Latin Music Legends: Tito Puente | (44¢) | March 16, 2011 |
| Latin Music Legends: Carmen Miranda | (44¢) | March 16, 2011 |
| Latin Music Legends: Selena | (44¢) | March 16, 2011 |
| Latin Music Legends: Carlos Gardel | (44¢) | March 16, 2011 |
| Latin Music Legends: Celia Cruz | (44¢) | March 16, 2011 |
| American Scientists: Severo Ochoa, Biochemist | (44¢) | June 16, 2011 |
| Carmel Mission (Express Mail®) | $18.95 | February 28, 2012 |
| José Ferrer | (45¢) | April 26, 2012 |
| Innovative Choreographers: José Limón | (45¢) | July 28, 2012 |
| Music Icons: Lydia Mendoza | (46¢) | May 15, 2013 |
| Celebrity Chefs: Felipe Rojas-Lombardi | (49¢) | September 26, 2014 |
| Martín Ramírez (5 designs) | (49¢) | March 26, 2015 |
| Jaime Escalante | (47¢) | July 13, 2016 |
| Oscar de la Renta (11 designs) | (49¢) | February 16, 2017 |
| Delicioso (6 designs) | (49¢) | April 20, 2017 |
| Emilio Sanchez (4 designs) | (55¢) | June 10, 2021 |
| Day of the Dead (4 designs) | (55¢) | September 30, 2021 |
| Mariachi (5 designs) | (60¢) | July 15, 2022 |
| Art of the Skateboard: Jaguar design | (63ยข) | March 24, 2023 |
HISTORIAN
UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE
JULY 2023