ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The National Hispanic Cultural Center is growing its recent partnership with the Smithsonian Institution in order to better
“As the nation’s only Hispanic cultural center with a nationwide focus, partnerships like this give us a foundation to continue developing our national footprint,” said National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Executive Director Zack Quintero. “This agreement will allow us to coordinate and collaborate with other museums and cultural centers across the country, opening up resources to share exhibits, artifacts, and more.”
In late 2025, the Center was notified that it became the newest Smithsonian Affiliate in New Mexico, joining a prestigious list of institutions that includes four other New Mexico museums: the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History and the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science in Albuquerque, the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo, and the City of Las Cruces Museum System in Las Cruces.
Through this program, affiliates receive access to professional development resources, connections to foster national partnerships, co-branding opportunities, and much more. Smithsonian Affiliates can also offer the Smithsonian Affiliate Membership Program to their institutional members, which includes an annual Smithsonian membership and other exclusive benefits.
At NHCC, the affiliate program will enable to Center to expand its existing genealogy programs and launch new partnerships with local communities throughout the United States. These and other programs facilitated by the affiliate program will expand and launch in the coming years.
In the meantime, visitors to the Center can expect to see branding emphasizing the nature of the partnership online and across the Center’s 10-acre campus in the coming weeks. The goal of highlighting the partnership is to showcase benefits of the affiliate program to new and existing partners in New Mexico and across the country. Smithsonian Affiliates are the only group outside the Smithsonian that has permission to use special, co-branded Smithsonian logos.
To learn more about the Smithsonian Affiliate program, visit affiliations.si.edu. More information about upcoming programs and initiatives at the Center is available at nhccnm.org.