Historias Unknown

Episodes

Nov. 17, 2022

Prudencia Ayala

Prudencia Ayala was an indigenous woman, writer, social activist and in 1930, she dared to run for president, in a time when women couldn't even vote in El Salvador (or in all of Latin America). In today's episode, Cristina t...

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Nov. 10, 2022

Mustard Gas Experiments During WWII

Latines had a huge role in WWII, from filling in work shortages to filling in ranks in the United States Armed forces. Many Mexican and Puerto Rican members of the military were sent to the Philippines or different Latin Amer...

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Oct. 27, 2022

History of Sterilizations in California: Madrigal v. Quilligan

From 1909 to the 1970s, the state of California performed one third of all sterilizations in the United States. 20,000 sterilizations were performed during these years, to people that did not consent. The case of Madrigal v. ...

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Oct. 20, 2022

The Guatemalan Syphilis Study

The Guatemalan Syphilis experiments were conducted in Guatemala from 1946 to 1948.

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Oct. 13, 2022

The History of Eugenics and Sterilizations in California

Eugenics was developed largely by Sir Francis Galton as a method of improving the human race, eugenics was increasingly discredited as unscientific and racially biased during the 20th century and it also informed many policie...

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Sept. 22, 2022

Cliserio Reyes - The Boy Who Flew

Cliserio Reyes was a young boy in Mexico when the Torreon airport was built. He loved airplanes and dreamed of flying. This is the story of his dream. Since Carmen and I were busy to record together for this week, …

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Sept. 15, 2022

LGBTQ+ Mexican Revolutionaries

September 16th is Mexican Independence day, why not talk about another Mexican war, the Mexican revolution. While people like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata are discussed when the revolution is discussed, there are people t...

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Sept. 8, 2022

Emma Beatrice Tenayuca

It's labor day week, let's talk about a less known labor movement leader, Emma Beatrice Tenayuca. She was an American Labor leader and union organizer, yet, she's not as well known as other Mexican-American labor leaders that...

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Aug. 18, 2022

The Story of "El Muelle de San Blas"

Mana is one of the most famous Mexican pop rock bands and their song, En El Muelle de San Blas is one their most well known and loved songs. It is based on a true story, but the true story …

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Aug. 4, 2022

The History of the Hard Shell Taco (in the United States)

The hard shell taco has become synonymous with Taco Bell and "white" people tacos, but the history and heritage of it, is actually very Mexican. The patent for the first hard shell taco mold was placed by a Oaxacan immigrant …

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July 28, 2022

The History of International Adoption in Guatemala

Adoption is often presented as the solution to abortion, but the dark side of adoption is rarely talked about. In between 1996 and 2007, Guatemala was one of the major providers of children for international adoption and whil...

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July 21, 2022

The Soccer War (La Guerra del Futbol)

In the summer of 1969, El Salvador and Honduras played three soccer games against each other and the winner would move on to the 1970 world cup. As they played the game of their lives, the soccer players had no …

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July 7, 2022

Vieques 1999: When Puerto Rico Kicked Out the Navy

Vieques is a little island, 8 miles from mainland Puerto Rico. From the 1920s until 2003, 2/3rds of the island was occupied by the US Navy. Day after, day, the people of Vieques lived with bombs falling every day. Until …

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June 30, 2022

Revolutionary Dogs

Dogs hold many titles, they are family, they rescue, they protect, they are loved. Some dogs become symbols of a revolution. When mass protests broke out in Chile, in 2011 and again in 2019, some beloved street dogs rose to …

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June 23, 2022

The 1970 Uvalde School Walkouts

Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas was the epicenter of a historic school walkout during the Chicano movement. In 1970, the firing of one beloved Mexican-American teacher set off a fire in the Mexican community of Uvalde and th...

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June 9, 2022

Las Soldaderas & the Saint Patrick's Battalion Featuring Espooky Tale…

There are stories that often go unknown in history, las Soldaderas and the Saint Patrick's Batallion are two that fit that bill. Las Soldaderas are women who fought during the Mexican Revolution and whose contributions to vic...

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June 2, 2022

Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera 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, and an advocate for unhoused people. Even on her deathbed, she co...

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May 26, 2022

The Shady Labor Practices of America's Favorite Soft Drink

There's a certain soft drink that comes to mind when you think of family parties, popcorn and movies and America, but what probably doesn't come to mind is the dark history behind that soft drink. A history that includes shad...

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May 19, 2022

The Battle of Chavez Ravine

Baseball is often referred to as America's National Pastime. Stadiums are full of cheering fans, but few think of the ugly history behind the very stadiums they sit in. Chavez Ravine was a thriving Mexican-American community ...

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May 6, 2022

Announcement

Hi everyone! Cristina here, we just wanted to make an announcement. After some discussion, Carmen and I decided to rebrand a bit! We wanted to change the name to better describe all of the topics we are discussing here. We …

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May 5, 2022

Bitter Cup of Coffee: Coffee & Capitalism in Guatemala and El Salvador

For many, coffee is a staple in every day life, but few know of the dark history involved in the creation of the coffee industry in the Americas. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about the history of the coffee …

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April 7, 2022

It Was Capitalism All Along Trailer

In each episode, your hosts (and twins), Carmen and Cristina will tell you about a story in which corporations, business men (or women) and in a lot of cases, countries, put their greed for profit over human lives. You'll her...

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