Joining a cohort of historic women, the Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz, is the first Afro-Latina to be featured on the U.S. quarter, and on Thursday (July 20), the United States Mint gave a glimpse into the design of the coin featuring the salsa legend.
The Mint shared: “The reverse (tails) features a dynamic depiction of Celia Cruz flashing her dazzling smile while performing in a rumba style dress. Her signature catchphrase “¡AZÚCAR!” is inscribed on the right.”
The coin is part of the American Women Quarters Program, launched by the U.S. Mint, which celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women in the United States. From 2022 through 2025, the U.S. Mint is releasing 5 new reverse designs each year of women who have made contributions across a variety of fields, including civil rights, abolition, and the arts and humanities among other contributions.
Cruz was born in Havana, Cuba, and recorded 70 albums throughout her career until her death in 2003 at 77. Her popularity in the U.S. catapulted Salsa to the public eye, a genre that was primarily dominated by men. Cruz has won three Grammy Awards, four Latin Grammy Awards, the President’s National Medal of Arts, and a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Cruz joins a roster of accomplished women to be featured in the U.S. quarter through the program.
During GMA3, the U.S. Mint Director Ventris C. Gibson also revealed the designs for Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, the first Army female surgeon in the U.S.; Zitkala-Ša (“Red Bird”), an author, composer, and activist; Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray, a poet, lawyer, and advocate for LGBTQ+ rights; and Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color to serve in Congress.
Fans online are expressing their excitement for the coin, with user @CaroCastilloCC tweeting, “What a great way to commemorate la Reina de la Salsa! I would keep mine and pass it along to my daughter. “
The Celia Cruz coin is set to be released in Summer 2024, and you can set a reminder to purchase here. And if you can’t wait, proofs are also available for purchase here.