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

The Other Side of the Bracero Story with Irvin Ibargüen
May 14, 2026

The Other Side of the Bracero Story with Irvin Ibargüen

Caught in the Current: Mexico's Struggle to Regulate Emigration, 1940–1980 is a pioneering analysis of Mexico’s efforts to curb the outflow of its citizens to the United States. It spotlights the miscalculation of Mexican aut...
Berta Caceres Part 4
April 30, 2026

Berta Caceres Part 4

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary, and a mother. In part 4, Cristina tells Ca...
Berta Caceres Part 3
April 16, 2026

Berta Caceres Part 3

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary (she joined the FMLN during the Salvadoran ...
Berta Caceres Part 2
April 2, 2026

Berta Caceres Part 2

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary (she joined the FMLN during the Salvadoran ...
Berta Caceres Part One
March 26, 2026

Berta Caceres Part One

Berta Cáceres was a Lenca indigenous leader, an environmental activist, and a human rights defender. But she was also so much more than that: a beauty pageant queen, a revolutionary (she joined the FMLN during the Salvadoran ...
The Birth Control Trials and Dr Helen Rodriguez Trias
March 19, 2026

The Birth Control Trials and Dr Helen Rodriguez Trias

The birth control pill revolutionized women’s independence in the US and so many places, but came at the cost of Puerto Rican women, who were experimented on without consent in the birth control trials of the 1950’s. One thir...

Recent Blog Posts

Sylvia Rivera
Jan. 4, 2023

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…

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The Battle of Chavez Ravine
July 16, 2022

The Battle of Chavez Ravine

Before it was 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…

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The History of Coffee in Guatemala and El Salvador
July 15, 2022

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, …

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About the Hosts

Carmen Profile Photo
Carmen

Host

Carmen is the cohost of Espooky Tales and Historias Unknown. She is also a busy social worker that cannot work without her cup of cafecito. She loves to read when she has time, but never has it! She and Carmen also used to do Novelas con Cafecito, a telenovela rewatch podcast (mostly about Teresa) with Cristina.

Cristina Profile Photo
Cristina

Podcast Editor/Producer/Host

Cristina is a freelance podcast editor/producer. She cohosts Espooky Tales and Historias Unknown with Carmen! She loves history, podcasts, spooky things and coffee. You can also contact her if you need a podcast editor.