Celia Cruz will appear on 2024 U.S. quarter

Soon there will be azúcar on American quarters, but more of the salsa-dancing kind instead of the sweet kind. 

Of course, Celia Cruz's voice was more than sweet, but I digress. The "queen of salsa" will appear on the U.S. quarter as part of “The American Women Quarters Program.” 

The four-year program celebrates the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. It started in 2022 and will continue through 2025. The U.S. Mint has issued up to five designs each year. Last year, Jovita Idar, Mexican American journalist, activist teacher and suffragist became the first Latina in the program. Her quarter was issued in 2023. 

Celia Cruz’s Cuban American iconic figure will be featured in the quarter along with the word “íAzúcar!” which was a signature part of her performances.  

Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born in 1925 in Barrio Santos Suarez in Havana. In a career that spanned six decades, Celia became one of the most iconic Latino musicians in the U.S. 

Who hasn't danced to her famous renditions of "La vida es un carnaval," "Quimbara," "Guantanamera" and "La negra tiene tumbao"? As if that weren't enough, her collaborations with Tito Puente and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs continue to be in heavy rotation in many playlists.  

In March 2011, she was honored by the United States Postal Service with a commemorative postage stamp as part of a group of five stamps honoring Latin Music greats. The stamps also included Selena, Tito Puente, Carmen Miranda and Carlos Gardel.