Illinois is home to the National Museum of Mexican Art, a major museum founded by Carlos Tortolero.
The museum is in Chicago’s Harrison Park, in the Pilsen neighborhood. It was founded in 1982 as the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum and later adopted the name National Museum of Mexican Art. Its collection and exhibitions present Mexican art and culture in the United States, including traditions relevant to Mexican American communities.
The museum has hosted programming connected with Mexican and Mexican American cultural life. Quinceañeras are not confined to one institution or state, but Chicago’s large Mexican and Latino communities make Illinois an important setting for studying how traditions are maintained and adapted in the United States.
The museum’s name can cause confusion because “national” describes its cultural mission, not a location in Mexico or a federal U.S. museum system. Its physical home is Chicago, Illinois.