Latino History

Close zoom on a handmade U.S. flag with 48 stars and 13 stripes attached to a short bamboo pole. Some of its details illustrate how it was created with found materials by U.S. soldiers held as POWs during World War II: bleeding colors, uneven stitching, and browned medical tape.
One flag–and the two soldiers who carried it
Unassuming at first glance, a U.S. flag that recently joined our museum's collection brings together the remarkable stories of two U.S....
Rosary with metal crucifix and black beads. Circular and rectangular medals are positioned regularly along the chain
Beads of faith: Exploring the diversity of American rosaries in the museum’s collection
Rosaries or prayer beads are an essential part of American material religion, the study of the objects, icons, images, and spaces of...
Graduation cap, gown, rainbow-colored stole, and costume wings in the pattern of Monarch butterfly wings. The top of the cap is decorated with flowers and has a message, "I am one of those people Mexico sent."
Making history happen: Reflecting on DACA and its impact
In 2011, one year after the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act failed to pass through the Senate, members of...
Gordo comic strip. Uncle Mio (wearing a suit and carrying a box of chocolates bouquet of flowers) talks to his nephew, who explains the qualities of different types of flowers. Behind the two figures appear precise, scientific diagrams of flowers.
Gus Arriola and Gordo, agents of Mexican culture
On February 3, 2008, San Francisco Chronicle writer Wyatt Buchanan reflected on the life of Gustavo "Gus" Arriola, creator of the comic...
Conservator sews linen thread along the spine of the Caramelo Deportivo album
Unveiling the Caramelo Deportivo through conservation
In preparation for an exhibition, all objects undergo a thorough assessment of their condition. Conservators determine whether the objects...
Cover of the Caramelo Deportivo baseball card album decorated with illustrations of player and related baseball ephemera
Caramelo Deportivo: A card collection that blurred baseball's color line
Caramelo Deportivo baseball card album after treatment by conservation technician Verónica Mercado Oliveras. The album contains cards of...
Four images. Leather pants and jeans, orange and white Cuban rumba dress, a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball jersey with the player number 21, and a margarita machine decorated with faux-wood paneling.
Ten objects that will help you understand Latinx history
The National Museum of American History has over 2 million items in its collections, spanning every topic you could think of. And from...
Los Boricuas jersey, with initials SS, the team name, and the the team's cartoon mascot, a stylized coqui frog in a baseball uniform and helmet, standing at bat
Suit up! Honoring Latino heritage on the field
Custom uniforms display cultural pride and signal Latino presence and excellence in baseball, America’s pastime. The colorful jerseys and...
Jessica Govea
How one girl helped build a Latinx civil rights movement
As a little girl, Jessica Govea had become accustomed to rising early and making her way to the fields with her family. During the cotton...
Sponges of diverse shapes and colors arranged in a line
Rea Ann Silva: The woman behind Beautyblender
While the iconic egg-shaped Beautyblender sponge is wildly popular and used by makeup professionals and everyday people from all...
Boycott Grapes button
Essential and expendable: The rise of agricultural labor and the United Farm Workers
Until the successes of the United Farm Workers (UFW) in the 1960s, agriculture was one of the last industries to hold out on unionization...
Bate Baret personalizado
The artistry behind a baseball bat
Custom Baret bat, Woodbridge, Virginia, 2018Gift of Juan Baret Bate Baret personalizado, Woodbridge, Virginia, 2018Donación de Juan...
Costume monarch butterfly wings
How butterfly wings helped a new collecting initiative take flight
The museum has created a new collecting initiative focused on how undocumented activists are leading fights for political representation....
Lobby cards for the film "Saludos Amigos"
Donald Duck: An American Diplomat?
Every April, people throughout North, Central, and South America celebrate Pan American Day. The roots of Pan American Day go back to 1890...
Este folleto de la Serie Mundial Amateur incluye datos destacados sobre los jugadores, historias breves sobre la Serie y, como la mayoría de los programas de béisbol, anuncios pagados.
Baseball in December: Leopoldo Martinez and the 1947 Amateur World Series
Over seventy years ago, in 1947, Jackie Robinson became the first African American athlete to play in the World Series, having famously...
Orange and blue Washington Senators poster with headshots of players, including Camilo Pascual
The Washington Senators couldn’t win—but excelled at scouting Latino talent
Today, the Washington Senators are most remembered for their ability to finish in last place. Despite their successful early history marked...
Photo of Jose Feliciano playing guitar at Smithsonian
Musician José Feliciano shook up a baseball tradition at age 23
José Feliciano will remain forever celebrated for his perennial Christmas classic "Feliz Navidad," one of his many hit recordings that have...
Photograph of exhibition section under label, "Incorporating Western Lands"
Creating home, creating legacies: how the Del Valles built Camulos
This group portrait of Del Valle family members is on display in “Many Voices, One Nation.” This photo of the Del Valle family and...
Natalia Flores’s pink quinceañera gown
Collecting la fiesta de quince años
Light pink and very full, the organza and tulle gown took up a major portion of the sofa. Beside it, Natalia had placed her glittery high...
Cover of Leopoldo Martinez's red leather scrapbook. The embroidered book has features the text: Scrap Book.
Commemorating a LIFE: How one Latino ballplayer remembered his career
Leopoldo “Polín” Martinez was a highly talented semiprofessional baseball player who toured with clubs in Mexico, Texas, and Southern...
Photograph of Ernie Martinez's re-stitched baseball glove and repair tools.
Innovative solutions to baseball problems: Latina/o style
After hitting a double, the runner goes for glory and tries to stretch the hit into a triple. A throw, a slide, a cloud of dust, and...
Sara Sunshine’s Clio Award, 1987
Collecting the history of Hispanic advertising
Over the past two years, the museum's business history curator, Dr. Kathleen Franz, has been collecting a wide range of materials related...
Dozens of soldiers on horseback stand in a line, shoulder to shoulder. Mountains visible in background. Desert sand.
General Pershing's Mexican Expedition to capture Pancho Villa predates his World War I career
The small American town of Columbus, New Mexico, was the site of a major event 100 years ago today. On March 9, 1916, spurred by events in...
Group of small wooden carved figures, some with painted details.
Remembering collector Teodoro Vidal, who preserved Puerto Rican history and culture in the national collection
The first job I had at the museum was working with a collection of more than 3,000 objects from Puerto Rico, all collected by Teodoro Vidal...
The journey and business success of "La Chiquita"
"Chiquita, can you bring me a soda?" "Chiquita, how much is two pupusas and a bag of mangos?" These are the things neighborhood...
KCOR Radio Microphone, early 1950s
Earning a place on the dial: Raoul Cortez, KCOR, and Spanish-language radio
In the U.S. today, Hispanic media is big business. In 2013, Advertising Age reported that spending in the U.S. Hispanic media market...
Photo of white overalls splattered with paint
Three new collections represent Latinas from L.A.
As a curator at the National Museum of American History, I find that exhibitions are one space in which I can bring history to the public....
The sazón in hip-hop
A slow disco melody spins on the turntable, interrupted by the metallic sound of symbols. Right after that, the running sounds of bongo...
Tarima and shoes used by Martha Gonzalez in California, 1999
The beat goes on: New acquisitions once stomped out the soundtrack of Los Angeles
As the Museum gears up to open new exhibitions in 2015, 2016, and 2017, our curators have combed the country, looking for the richest...
Mexican-style dress
8 tips for experiencing Latino History at the museum
Looking to discover Latino history during your museum visit this Hispanic Heritage Month? Christine Miranda, who interned with our Program...
Matty Alou's brothers Felipe and Jesús also played professional baseball. This card shows the National League's 1968 batting leaders, which include Matty and Felipe Alou. Ronald S. Korda
Three Afro-Latino baseball players you ought to know
Intern Jhensen Ortiz spent the summer researching integration narratives of Afro-Latino baseball players. Just in time for the World Series...
Fierce fashion from 19th century Puerto Rico
We doubt leg-of-mutton sleeves will make an appearance on runways during Fashion Week, but there's one thing that never goes out of style:...
Remembering Diosa Costello, "The Latin Bombshell"
Curator Dwight Blocker Bowers remembers Diosa Costello. "I was the original J. Lo.," Costello said at a 2011 Smithsonian donation...
Chef holding a tray of apple pies
As American as apple pie
Editor's note: If you're planning a visit to the museum after Thanksgiving, save room for dessert—and check the hours of our cafés. In...
A colorful biographical portrait of Celia Cruz, painted by Robert Weingarten, featuring aspects of her life
Celia Cruz portrait unveiled
Biographical portrait of Celia Cruz by Robert WeingartenIt's a pop of vivid color and glimmering textures, tinted with memories of home,...
A photograph of Celia Cruz taken in the 1950's
And the winner of the Frame an Iconic American contest is…
We asked you to vote on which of five iconic American figures should be memorialized in a new biographical portrait by Robert Weingarten, a...

Pages