Pinzon’s contribution represents seed money for the important purposes of the Fund. "It is my personal hope that, by working together with The Americas Foundation, and other sponsors, additional funds can be later added to this Gift Fund," said Pinzon. "I also personally hope that projects leading toward the shared goals of the Smithsonian Institution, of The Americas Foundation and "La Casa de las Americas in Washington" (of which I serve as President and Founder) will be developed and carried out with the support of this Fund. Finally, I want to recognize and thank Dr. Paul M. Taylor for his vision and strong cooperation to help initiate this wonderful journey for the benefit of the people of the Americas," Pinzon concluded.

On May 11, 1999, Victor Pinzon received from the Smithsonian Institution the following letter:

                                                                                      Smithsonian
                                                                                      National Museum of Natural History

Mr. Victor Pinzon
c/o The Americas Foundation
1115 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005

Dear Victor:

I want to sincerely thank you for your generous donation of $5,500 to the Smithsonian Institution, through the check delivered on this date to the National Museum of Natural History, to set up the new : "House of the Americas Fund." I look forward to working with you in support of that fund’s purposes: "documenting, studying, and celebrating the cultural heritage of the Americas," in accordance with the terms of the documents establishing that Fund.

As examples of the kind of projects we hope to explore with you, and with The Americas Foundation (TAF), we hope to continue developing collaborative, web-based exhibitions and digital museums that will present and interpret Latin America, Caribbean, and related European collections in innovative ways. We also hope to work with you and TAF to continue to develop our proposed Madrid conference on "Public Rituals, Museum and Tourism in the Information Age." Hopefully, as we continue to carry out high-quality research efforts and public programs of this kind, other people will also recognize the value of this Fund and continue to make contributions to this exciting new initiative that you have founded.

This is just a preliminary note of acknowledgment and thanks for your donation. The formal acknowledgment from the Director of the National Museum of Natural History will follow, along with evidence of the Smithsonian’s 501c3 status, etc., if needed.

Your personal initiative to set up a Smithsonian Gift Fund to support our shared goals is a great sacrifice on your part, and much appreciated here. We all look forward to working with you and with The Americas Foundation on this exciting new initiative.

Sincerely,

Paul Michael Taylor, Ph.D.
Director, Asian and European
   Cultural History Program
   (and) Curator
MRC 112
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC 20560-0112