Historias Unknown

Historias Unknown

Obscure Latin American history, capitalism and corruption. Each week, your hosts, Carmen and Cristina, will tell each other a story about Latino/Latine history, capitalism or corruption and sometimes all three. Episodes every Thursday.

Recent Episodes

View all
Nuño Beltran de Guzman: Behind the Bastardos
May 16, 2024

Nuño Beltran de Guzman: Behind the Bastardos

When it comes to the Spanish Conquistadors, it’s not incorrect to say they were pretty terrible people. But out of all of them, one name stands out, he also happens to be the founder of Guadalajara, Jalisco, among other town…
Student Movements in Latin America
May 9, 2024

Student Movements in Latin America

In light of the student protests calling for divestments from Israel and a ceasefire in US schools, Carmen tells Cristina about the student movements from the 1920s to the 1950s in Colombia and the student movement from 1918…
Teresa Urrea, La Santa de Cabora
May 1, 2024

Teresa Urrea, La Santa de Cabora

Teresa Urrea was a curandera, folk saint, feminist and revolutionary. A woman ahead of her time. She came to be known as Santa Teresa or La Santa de Cabora. And in more recent times, the Joan of Arc of Mexico. In this episod…
Victor Jara
April 25, 2024

Victor Jara

Victor Jara was a popular singer in Chile, famous for his folk songs that focused on politics, human rights, and social justice. This, along with aligning himself with Allende, made him a target for the Chilean right-wing, a…
A Brief History of Chile: The End of the Pinochet Regime
April 11, 2024

A Brief History of Chile: The End of the Pinochet Regime

In October 1998, General Augusto Pinochet was arrested for crimes of genocide and terrorism. He spent months in house arrest in England, but 15 months after his arrest, he was declared not fit to stand trial. Upon his return…
A Brief History of Chile: The Caravan of Death and DINA
March 28, 2024

A Brief History of Chile: The Caravan of Death and DINA

In the aftermath of the Pinochet coup, Chileans faced unimaginable horrors under the military dictatorship. The Caravan of Death: Initiated by Pinochet, this series of massacres between September 30th and October 22nd, 1973,…
View all Episodes

Recent Blog Posts

Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera was born on July 2,1951 in New York City. She is often remembered for the stonewall uprising, but she was much more than that. She identified as a drag queen, she was a trans rights activist, an advocate for unhoused people and a membe…

The Battle of Chavez Ravine

Before Dodger Stadium, this part of Los Angeles was a Mexican community known as Chavez Ravine.  > These neighborhoods were La Loma, Bishop and Palo Verde. By their own standards, these three neighborhoods were thriving, but the rest of LA…

The History of Coffee in Guatemala and El Salvador

Coffee has a long history in the Americas. Over 60 percent of the world’s coffee is supplied by Latin America and the majority from Brazil. How did it arrive in the Americas? In 1720, a French Naval officer brought seedlings to Martinique, …
View all posts

About the Hosts

CarmenProfile Photo

Carmen

Host

Carmen is the host of Novelas con Cafecito (so is Cristina), a telenovela rewatch podcast and a busy social worker that cannot social work without her cup of cafecito. She loves to read when she has time, but never has it!

CristinaProfile Photo

Cristina

Podcast Editor/Producer/Host

Cristina is a podcast editor, producer & host, but her other titles also include mom and healthcare worker. To listen to her share spooky stories, check out Espooky Tales! She's also Carmen's twin! She loves history, podcasts, spooky things and coffee. You can also contact her if you need a podcast editor.