Presente Logo

Join us in exploring how Latino History is American History. The Molina Family Latino Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States is an introduction to critical concepts, moments, and biographies that shine a light on the historical and cultural legacy of U.S. Latinas and Latinos. 

Color rendering of axion view of the Molina Family Latino Gallery
National Museum of the American Latino.
Explore an interactive map of the gallery
Black and white image of a group of young Mexican Americans marching with a sign saying “Mexican American Pride”
Protesters march on Whittier Boulevard during the National Chicano Moratorium. 1970. Copyright Joe Razo and Raúl Ruiz. From the La Raza Photograph Collection. Courtesy of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center 
Explore key themes: Latino Identity, Historical Legacies, Immigration, Shaping the Nation
Entrance to the Molina Family Latino Gallery
Take a 360° self-guided virtual tour

Mapping the U.S. Latino Experience

Mapping the U.S. Latino Experience uses national data demographics to tell the story of the U.S. Latino experience. Within each story you can explore graphs, significant data points and hear stories from community organizations.

Donut graph showing demographic characteristics of Latino eligible voters
Mapping the U.S. Latino Experience. 2021, National Museum of the American Latino.
Latino Voters

A record number of Latinos—nearly 30 million—were eligible to vote in 2020.
Stacked bar chart, title: Labels used most often among Latinos to describe their identity, two thousand seventeen. Vertical bars represent: Self-identified Latinos; Foreign born; Second generation; and third or higher generation.
Mapping the U.S. Latino Experience. 2021, National Museum of the American Latino.
How do Latinos Self-Identify?

U.S. Latinos have used a variety of identifying labels over time, learn about how Latinos self identify.

The traveling exhibition, "Collidoscope: de la Torre Brothers Retro-Perspective," sponsored in part by the National Museum of the American Latino showcases three decades of the brothers’ work. In this virtual exhibition you can explore the brothers’ work through their voices.

The National Museum of the American Latino is featuring an online virtual exhibit on the Healing Uvalde Mural Project. The Healing Uvalde Mural project is a collaboration with the Uvalde community, family members and artists to create 21 murals honoring those killed in the Robb Elementary mass shooting.  View all 21 murals in our virtual exhibition and learn more about this project honoring the lives lost on May 24, 2022.

Color photo of portrait mural of Tess Maria Mata wearing floral shirt and softball uniform against indigo and orange background
Photo by Al Rendón, 2022
See all 21 Murals
Color photo of muralist Albert "Tino" Ortega on a scissor lift working on portrait mural of Jose Manuel Flores.
Photo by Al Rendón, 2022
Learn about the Project

Google Arts and Culture Exhibitions

Color photo of portrait mural of Tess Maria Mata wearing floral shirt and softball uniform against indigo and orange background
Photo by Al Rendón, 2022
More than a Mural

Learn about the incredible community-based "Healing Uvalde Mural Project" and how brightly colored murals have transformed downtown Uvalde, Texas, after an unbelievable tragedy.
¡2020¡ a sculpture by the de la Torre Brothers, detail of red blown glass sugar skull head.
¡2020! By Einar and Jamex de la Torre, 2020 (Courtesty of Koplin Del Rio Gallery), mixed-media, blown-glass sculpture with resin casting. 33x22x14 in. Philipp Scholz Rittermann.
Explore "¡2020!"

Discover hidden details in "¡2020!" a mixed media sculpture by artists Einar and Jamex de la Torre, a part of the "Collidoscope" traveling exhibition.
Wheelchair with hearing aids floating on top of it with background of Disability Pride Flag in crayon textured colors.
Adriana Morales-Díaz, 2023
Thriving in Diversity: Latinas and Latinos with Disabilities

Did you know that 1 in 6 Latinos in the U.S. has a disability? Learn about the community of Latinas and Latinos with disabilities in the U.S!​
Black and white portrait of a Latino man on the left and Latina woman on the right. White text reading “Somos” in the center.
Somos, Alberto Ferreras, 2021. National Museum of the American Latino.  
Exploring Latino Diversity

What does it mean to be Latino? To be Hispanic? To be Latinx? What does it mean to be American? Join us to learn about the complexity and diversity of Latino identity.
Color photo of a polling station inside a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles.
2019 California Polling Station. Courtesy of David McNew/ Getty Images 
¡Sí se puede! A Latino History of Voting Rights in the United States​

Explore how the Molina Family Latino Gallery tells the story of Latino voters' role in shaping U.S. democracy.
Mural on a building, mural is abstract in bright colors
“Un pueblo sin murales es un pueblo desmuralizado.” by Caco and Renato Salazar. Photograph, National Museum of the American Latino
DC Latino Street Murals

Mapping the Legacy of Latino Muralism in the Washington DC area.

Celebration in a park with a crowd dancing
Museum Resource Center. National Park Service. Summer in the Parks Collection. Photographer unknown.
Latino DC: Local, National & Global Stories Come Together

The Smithsonian’s Latino DC History Project tells the story of the growth of the diverse Latino community in the Nation’s Capital and its suburbs.
Wooden Bowl with small skull beads on it.
Photograph of beads at the "La Catrina" store in Ventura, California. National Museum of the American Latino, 2012.
Honoring our Ancestors

El Día de los Muertos is a day to honor and commemorate the lives of the dearly departed and to welcome the return of their spirits.
Color photo in bird's eye view of Dia de Muertos altar decorations, candles, and different food items.
Photo by Gerardo Covarrubias on Unsplash
The Meaning of the Altar

During El Día de los Muertos the welcoming back of the spirits is observed in households with the creation of ofrendas.
Digital representation of la Catrina holding a monarch butterfly on her hand
National Museum of the American Latino.
La Catrina: Lady of the Dead

Catrina is one of the most widely recognizable symbols of Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead.

Clay slip pottery vessle shaped like a bush dog
Photo by Ernest Amoroso, Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
Cerámica de los Ancestros

This online exhibition looks at a sampling of artifacts from seven regions representing distinct Central American cultural areas

Apple Guide Maps

Nuestra América: Latinas/os Who Shaped the United States

Meet 11 inspiring Latinas featured in the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino and Running Press publication Nuestra América. Nuestra América explores their contributions to the cultural, social, and political character of the U.S.

Learn more

Gloria Felix, Running Press Kids
Smithsonian Institution ¡Presente! Snapshots of Latino Immigration, 1950-2021

Since 1950, millions of Latinos have immigrated to the US, among them artists, activists, entrepreneurs, and scholars who indelibly remixed our culture. Explore the lives of a few of these fascinating change-makers.

Learn more

Digital Artwork by Rafael López, 2021 
Washington DC's Latino Street Murals: Mapping the Legacy

The Latino Community, once centered on DC's vibrant Adams Morgan neighborhood, has deep roots, and its branches reach out across the city. From Carlos Salazar's 1970s era Un Pueblo Sin Murales, to Juan Pineda's Welcome to Deanwood, the legacy grows.

Learn more

“Un pueblo sin murales es un pueblo desmuralizado.” by Caco and Renato Salazar. Photograph, National Museum of the American Latino