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 NYC School Boycott
Feb. 26, 2026

The NYC School Boycott

One of the largest school boycotts took place in NYC on Feb 3, 1964, almost half a million participated, calling for quality schools for Black and Latino students. It was called freedom day and despite being one of the larges...
Now I Surrender With Alvaro Engrigue
Feb. 19, 2026

Now I Surrender With Alvaro Engrigue

Now I Surrender radically recasts the story of how the West was “won.” In the contested borderlands between Mexico and the United States, a woman flees into the desert after a devastating raid on her dead husband’s ranch. A l...
Marcos Xiorro
Feb. 12, 2026

Marcos Xiorro

Marcos Xiorro was an enslaved Black man who led an uprising against sugarcane plantation owners in 1821 Puerto Rico. Cristina tells Carmen about Marcos Xiorro and a brief history of slavery in PR. Then, they do Latin American...
Xica Manicongo
Feb. 5, 2026

Xica Manicongo

Xica Manicongo was one of the first to be targeted by the Brazilian inquisition and a trans woman. At least, today she is seen as a trans woman. She’s also known as Franscisco or Fransisca . She was kidnaped from Congo in the...
Protests Against Nixon In Latin America
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...
El Linchamiento De Josefa
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 ...

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.