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

Jan. 29, 2026

Protests Against Nixon In Latin America

The 1950s were a time of turmoil all over Latin America, mostly because of the US. Let’s remember that during the 50's the US intervened all over Latin America; thus, it was no surprise when there were mass protests against N...
Jan. 22, 2026

El Linchamiento De Josefa

El linchamiento de Josefa tuvo lugar el 5 de julio de 1851 en Downieville, California, en el condado de Sierra. A lo largo de la historia, su nombre ha permanecido en el anonimato, se ha modificado o solo se ha mencionado su ...
Jan. 15, 2026

The Zoot Suit Riots

From June 3, 1943 to June 8, 1943, American servicemen attacked mostly Mexican American youth (but also Black and Filipino youth), identifying their victims by their outfit: the Zoot Suit. Hundreds were arrested, but probably...
Jan. 8, 2026

Manuel Noriega's Right Hand Man With Cillian Dunne

The CIA built him. Then they tried to erase him.Trained by Mossad, the DEA, and Fidel Castro’s Cuba, Carlos Wittgreen became the triple spy at the center of Panama’s shadow wars. As Manuel Noriega’s right hand, he carried sec...
Jan. 1, 2026

The Sleepy Lagoon Murder Part Two

José Gallardo Díaz, a young Mexican man found barely breathing near Sleepy Lagoon, a reservoir in commerce, CA, on August 2, 1942. The case became a flashpoint for racial tension and injustice in Los Angeles. Without this cas...
Dec. 24, 2025

The Yappies (Teaser)

Welcome to the yappies! We present nominees in different categories, Grifter of the Year, Prisoner of the Year, Villian of the Year and Moral Panic of the Year. In this snippet, you'll hear the grifter of the year portion and...

Recent Blog Posts

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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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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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.