Written by: Liliana Mejia, Caminos al Futuro 2026
As a New York City high schooler always looking for a quiet place to study, I have seen my fair share of libraries, but none can hold a candle to the grandeur of the Library of Congress.
Our second stop on a tour of buildings surrounding Capitol Hill, the Library of Congress was a place that our cohort was particularly excited about. Upon walking into the main area, we were greeted by beautiful architecture, paintings of hallways and ceilings, and a gust of air conditioning — something very welcome in the heat of early July.
A quick elevator ride led us to the Hispanic Reading room where our tour guide, archivist Katie Defonzo, taught us what each of the alcoves contained. I spent a lot of time in the Latinx alcove near the entrance, which contains books, periodicals, and magazines that document the history of Latino and Latin American people in the United States. Here, I noticed many books related to identity that we had discussed in the Caminos classroom, such as Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza. Further down in the alcoves, I was especially drawn to the PALABRA archive, with its nearly 800 recordings of poets and prose writers from 32 countries.
After some time poking around the different alcoves, we took the stairs to what many consider the highlight of the Library of Congress: the main reading room. From floor to ceiling, the room and surrounding areas were breathtaking; the urge to take out my phone and snap a picture was uncontrollable.
My personal favorite exhibit was one featuring George Washington vs. King George III, titled The Two Georges: Parallel Lives in an Age of Revolution. This exhibit, highlighting George Washington’s papers from the Library of Congress, George III’s scientific instruments from the Science Museum Group in London, and George III’s papers from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives, allowed me to see the similarities between the two leaders and understand the societal context they were living in.
Of course, no Caminos al Futuro trip is complete without a trip to the gift shop! I commemorated my trip with a mini puzzle for my sister and a sticker for myself — something else to add to my growing collection of DC souvenirs.
Unfortunately, no library I visit back home will measure up to the Library of Congress, but I now have a welcome excuse to come back and visit another summer!
Liliana Mejia is a 2026 Caminos al Futuro Scholar. Liliana’s views are her own and not necessarily reflective of the Cisneros Institute.