On November 7, 2026, the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute participated in “Celebrating Veterans Festival de Servicio y Conmemoración,” organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino and held at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

The festival celebrated 250 years of Latino contributions to U.S. military history, bringing together veterans, military historians, families, and cultural organizations through historical presentations, conversations, exhibitions, and educational activities. The festival explored stories of military service across generations—from Admiral David Glasgow Farragut to Colonel Marisol Chalas and veterans serving today. Through conversations with veterans, service members and military historians; historical tributes; a pop-up exhibition; and participation from veterans organizations nationwide, the program examined the many ways Latino service has shaped American military history.

As part of the festival, the QSSI hosted an informational booth showcasing the educational resources developed through its America&Spain250 initiative, including bilingual materials designed to bring Spain’s contributions to the founding of the United States into classrooms and engage younger generations with this shared history.

Through its participation, the Institute demonstrated how people from the Caribbean, Central America, and the western half of the U.S. contributed to the American Revolution reaffirmed its commitment to raising awareness of Spain’s historical contributions to the United States.