The six Latino performers honored by the Kennedy Center since 1978

2015 Kennedy Center Honors honoree actress and singer Rita Moreno attends the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

FILE - In this Oct. 18 2005 file photo, Argentine pianist Martha Argerich is seen in Tokyo. This yearââ¬â¢s Kennedy Center honorees include musicians who span genres including pop, rock, gospel, blues, folk and classical _ and an actor known for his extraordinary range. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announced Thursday, June 23, 2016, that actor Al Pacino, rock band the Eagles, Argentine pianist Martha Argerich, gospel and blues singer Mavis Staples and singer-songwriter James Taylor will be honored for influencing American culture through the arts. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File) (AP2005)

Musical theater actress Chita Rivera was one of the recipients of the 2002 Kennedy Center Honors. (2002 Getty Images)

Opera singer Placido Domingo at the Kennedy Center Awards reception on December 3, 2000 at the White House in Washington, DC. The other honorees that year were Mikhail Baryshnikov, Clint Eastwood, Chuck Berry and Angela Landsbury. 

Musician Carlos Santana received the nation's top honor on December 8, 2013. The honorees that year included opera singer Martina Arroyo, jazz musician Herbie Hancock, musician Billy Joel, actress Shirley MacLaine. (2013 Getty Images)

Martina Arroyo at the 27th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 2013 in Washington, DC. Originally from Puerto Rico, Arroyo is an operatic soprano who had a major international opera career from the 1960s through the 1980s.  (2014 Getty Images)