Updated May 11, 2026 at 12:13 PM MDT
To mark the 250th anniversary of the United States, we’re cataloging 25 objects that define the country’s history.
If you’re a fan of salsa, you’ve heard of Celia Cruz. She’s one of the best-selling Latin performers of all time, and she was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.
A pair of red, satin, sky-high, open-toed, cantilevered heels that Cruz wore when she captivated audiences from Havana to New York City is one of the highlights of a new exhibit called ¡Puro Ritmo! The Musical Journey of Salsa! at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Ranald Woodaman, exhibitions and public programs director at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, offered more details about the new exhibit and how it showcases Cruz’s influence on salsa.
How did Cruz rise to fame?
“She essentially contains a universe of stories, but she came up in 1940s radio in Cuba. She was born in 1925, and by the 1950s, she had already become a celebrity across Cuba and Latin America.
“In 1959 came Cuba’s communist revolution. She was an ardent critic of Fidel Castro and the communist revolution, so she went into exile and settled in New York City. For much of the 1960s, she tried to restart her career. And you can hear some really classic albums by her where she partnered with Tito Puente, a mambo godfather during the 1960s. But it’s really not until around 1973 that the salsa generation really embraces her as the queen of salsa.”
You have a dress of hers on display, along with this amazing pair of red high heels. Why did you pick these objects to tell the story of salsa music?
“The exhibit is open for two and a half years, so we’re actually displaying five of her outfits. We rotate light-sensitive materials every six months, like posters and textiles. So these are all outfits that were meant to be seen in movement on the stage. She was someone that paid meticulous attention to her stage persona and her appearance on stage — both in forms of her outfits and her shoes — in large part because of the huge respect and love that she had for her audience.”
How did salsa music develop in the United States?
“Salsa really develops in the United States, especially in New York City, because New York City is the hub of the recording and music publishing industry. It is a major site of musical innovations for generations of Cuban and Puerto Rican musicians. And so the setting was right for record companies to come around in the mid-60s and to take advantage of this preexisting talent.”
How does salsa contribute to the story of America?
“The amazing thing about salsa is that from very early on, Americans of all stripes make this music their own. Of course, Latinos — Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans and others — but all Americans contributed. Jewish musicians, Italian-American and African American musicians became stewards of this tradition and were part of that innovation that has transformed Afro-Cuban music from what it was, say, in the 1930s.
“By the 1960s, you’ve got all these new trends like boogaloo and Latin soul and salsa itself that emerge from this reimagining of Afro-Cuban music thanks to the creativity of all kinds of American musicians who’ve been part of this story.”
This interview was edited for clarity.
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This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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