CENP-A is a histone H3-like protein specific to centromeres that is essential for kinetochore formation and accurate chromosome segregation in eukaryotes. Recent studies (Dunleavy et al., 2009; Foltz et al., 2009; Perpelescu et al., 2009; Pidoux et al., 2009; Williams et al., 2009) analyze CENP-A binding proteins required for the recruitment of CENP-A to centromeres in humans and in fission yeast, bringing us closer to understanding how centromere identity is faithfully propagated.