'Unique and eternal:' Iconic Cuban singer Celia Cruz is first Afro-Latina on a US quarter

The late legendary Cuban singer Celia Cruz is has become the first Afro-Latina woman to appear on U.S. currency. 

The “Queen of Salsa” was one of five women selected to be the “face” of a quarter this year by the U.S. Mint, which runs a program dedicated to the celebration of the accomplishments and contributions made by women of the United States. 

“Celia Cruz’s influence reached well beyond her music,” Ventris Gibson, Mint director, said in a news release. “She was proud of and celebrated her Cuban culture, which empowered Afro-Latino Americans in embracing their heritage, making her an important and enduring cultural icon.”

Cruz, who died in 2003 in New Jersey at the age of 77, is the 14th woman honored by the U.S. Mint’s American Quarters Program since 2022 and the fourth woman to appear on a quarter in 2024. 

Omer Pardillo-Cid, the executor of Cruz’s estate, said in a news release that the U.S. Mint’s tribute would have come as a great surprise to the late singer, who was a “simple and humble woman.” 

“The adjective 'unique' has been used a great deal, but I really can't find another that is more correct to describe Celia Cruz. Unique and eternal,”  Pardillo-Cid said. 

Here’s what to know.

Quarter designed with Celia Cruz’s ‘dynamic’ personality, designer says 

Cruz appears on the tails side of the quarter, flashing a dazzling smile as she performs in a rumba style dress. Cruz's signature catchphrase “¡AZÚCAR!” ("sugar" in English) is inscribed on the right side of the coin.

Phebe Hemphill, a U.S. Mint medallic artist, said in a statement that he wanted the design of the superstar's coin to be "as dynamic as she was."

“I watched her perform in her famous rumba dress and tried to create a design that truly reflected her greatness and vitality," Hemphill said.

With hits like "La Vida es Carnival," Cruz's music captured both joy and struggle and drew heavily from her experiences growing up and living in Cuba before she defected from the country in 1960 after communist Fidel Castro assumed power. Cruz rose to fame while living in Cuba in the 1950s and her popularity only grew after she left and became a political refugee living in Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Cruz won her first of three Grammy Awards in 1990 and racked up dozens of additional honors before succumbing to brain cancer in July 2003, reported NorthJersey.com, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Celia Cruz quarters in ‘circulation,’ available now 

The coin dedicated to preserving the memory of the “immortal” singer entered circulation on Monday, which means that you may encounter Cruz’s coin among your loose change from now on. 

Cruz’s coin, which will be sold in rolls or bags, is also available for purchase online. 

Celia Cruz quarter gets all the 'love' online

The U.S. Embassy in Cuba made note of the “historic milestone” in an X post on Thursday, writing that the circulation of Cruz’s coin was “great news” for Celia Cruz and Latin music fans. 

“Celia is the first Afro-Latino figure to appear on a U.S. Coin. Her image will be one of twenty women featured on the reverse side of 25 cent coins as part of the American Women Quarters Program.” 

Others said they were excited to cop the Cruz’s icon, calling the latest development “iconic.”