Hot Chocolate And Cultural Connections At NMAH

Christine and a Mexican museum visitor, with the Latino immigration cart

An unexpected artifact featured on National Museum of American History’s (NMAH) Immigration cart is eliciting excited responses from visitors. The object costs under 6 dollars and is available at any grocery store, yet it is displayed in the same building as priceless pieces of American history. It is a box of Abuelita hot chocolate, a traditional Mexican food staple. The box of hot chocolate is part of a display of objects that help depict aspects of the latino immigrant experience in the US.

Christine Miranda, the NMAH intern who works with the immigration cart says “The tale of Abuelita chocolate is not a story that relates to all Latinos, and it’s not the only Latino story there is to tell. Before this summer, I had never tasted or even seen the Abuelita brand. But there is something alluring and comforting about the familiar yellow label that has resonated with so many people, allowing me to capture their attention long enough to explain the other objects on my cart,even ones whose embittered histories are less palatable. “

Read more about Abuelita hot chocolate, the cart, and Christine Miranda here, on the NMAH O’ Say Can Your See Blog.