Historias Unknown

La Cucaracha is a popular Mexican folk song, there's no doubt that almost everyone has heard a version of this song. But, where does it come from? On today's episode of Historias Unknown, Cristina tells Carmen about where the popular song came from. If you have topic suggestions, feel free email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/  Sources http...

On December 20, 1989 the United States launched Operation Just Cause, invading Panama, under the guise of capturing dictator Manuel Noriega. This invasion is often told from the US perspective, and the suffering of Panamians is overlooked and minimized. To this day, the number of Panamanians that lost their lives from this invasion is still unknown, but the numbers range from 500 to 5000. On today...

On July 30, 1975 Salvadoran students were peacefully protesting in San Salvador when they were met by police and national guard, who opened fire on them. This massacre was a turning point in Salvadoran history and directly contributed to the buildup to El Salvador's civil war. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about the student massacre of 1975 in El Salvador. If you have topic suggestions, f...

Ruben Salazar was an activist, journalist and reporter. He highlighted Mexican American issues during a time when no one else was. He was killed during the Chicano Moratorium, which Carmen discussed in the last episode. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about Ruben Salazar. If you have topic suggestions, feel free email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/h...

On August 29, 1970, East LA became the scene for the largest antiwar protest organized by people of color in US history, in which 20,000 to 30,000 people participated in the National Chicano Moratorium to protest against the disproportionate loss of Mexican-American servicemen in the Vietnam War. In this episode, Carmen tells Cristina about the Chicano Moratorium. This is part one of two. In part...

The origins of colonialism in Palestine can be traced back to 1799, during the French invasion of the middle east, when Napoleon issued a proclamation offering Palestine as a homeland to Jewish people, under France’s protection, as a way of establishing a French presence in the region. This planted the seed for a vision of a Jewish state in the Middle East which did not materialize at the time, bu...

Placita Olvera is a historic street in Los Angeles, vital to California history but with some dark moments in its past. In February 26, 1931, La Placita was full with almost 400 people when immigration agents sealed off exits, arrested and deported many, including Mexican-American citizens. On today's episode, Cristina tells Carmen about La Placita Olvera. They also discuss the Golondrina Cafe and...

Myrna Mack Chang was a Guatemalan anthropologist whose research brought to light the atrocities committed by the Guatemalan government against the Maya. She also fought for better treatment for the Maya; unfortunately, she was assassinated by the government for speaking out, and her family fought a decades long battle for justice. On today's episode, Carmen tells Cristina the story of Myrna Mack C...

The roots of Guatemala’s civil war can be tied back to June 27, 1954, when the CIA orchestrated a coup against president Jacobo Arbenz Guzman to protect the profits of the infamous United Fruit Company. Over the next 40 years, a civil war ensued in which over 200,000 people lost their lives and atrocities were committed against the Maya. On today's episode, Carmen gives Cristina a brief history on...

On January 28, 1917, seventeen year old Carmelita Torres refused to exit the trolley on the Santa Fe Bridge and follow US health officials to a chemical bath. 30 women followed after her. Soon, that 30 became hundreds and then thousands. This would be called "the Bath Riots" and it lasted 2 days. Newspapers referred to the women as Amazons and called Carmelita Torres the red haired amazon. Not muc...

 On July 24, 1973, twelve year old Santos Rodriguez was brutally murdered by Dallas Police Officer Darell Cain, but the murder pushed the Mexican American community of Dallas to demand justice.  On today's episode, Carmen tells Cristina about the violent and tragic murder of Santos and how the Mexican American community came together in the aftermath. TW: murder of a child, police violence, mentio...

During opening weekend, Oppenheimer, raked in$80.5 million, second to Barbie. While the film Oppenheimer is about physicist Robert Oppenheimer and his efforts to create the atomic bomb, what many movie goes do not know, is that this "near-desolate" land where all this was taking place, was actually not empty. It was home to indigenous people and to several Hispano families. They were displaced for...

Luisa Moreno was Guatemalan labor movement activist, she unionized workers, led strikes, and brought together first national Latino civil rights assembly in 1939. She paved the road for future labor movements like the United Farm Workers, yet her name is not as well known. On today's episode, Cristina tells Carmen about Luisa Moreno If you have topic suggestions, feel free email Historiasunknownpo...

Pedro Zamora gained notoriety as a cast member in season four of the Real World. As a Real World cast member, Pedro touched many lives and humanized AIDS/HIV. Prior to the Real World, Pedro was an AIDS educator and he even testified before congress advocating for better HIV/AIDS educational programs. On today's episode, Carmen tells Cristina about Pedro Zamora.. If you have topic suggestions, feel...

Did you know, the first openly gay candidate to run for a public office in the United States was a Latino man and a drag queen? Jose Sarria was an instrumental activist to the LGBTQ+ community, he was a veteran, a drag queen and an empress. On today's episode, Cristina tells Carmen about the historic and iconic, Jose Sarria If you have topic suggestions, feel free email Historiasunknownpodcast@gma...

Jessie Lopez De La Cruz was a Mexican America Farm worker and activist. She was the first women to work as a recruiter for the United Farm Workers and she was responsible for the signing up the highest amount of new members. She also worked at the first UFW hiring hall, which was located at her house in Parlier, CA. She joined every strike and protest she could, she was a community organizer and s...

On March 20, 1969, students of West High in Denver, CO walked out of their classes to protest racism. This became one of the most violent student protests in US history. The students were demanding bilingual classes, the firing of a racist teacher, for teachers to quit steering students toward the armed forces and more. On today's episode, Carmen tells Cristina about this moment in US History. If...

The 1960s were a time of revolution, with many movements co-occurring across the United States. Inspired by these movements, one neighborhood made history. Barrio Logan in San Diego, California came together to stop the construction of a highway patrol substation and instead built their own park, now known as Chicano park. In this episode, Cristina tells Carmen about the occupation that led to Chi...

Camilo Torres Restrepo was a Colombian Roman Catholic priest and sociologist, who abandoned the priesthood for the revolution and became a guerrillero. Camilo is often referred to as “the revolutionary priest,” and during his life, he attempted to reconcile Marxism and Catholicism. Camilo paved the way for liberation theology, and is known as a pioneer of liberation theology. Listen to this episod...

In the 1980s, a network of religious congregations became known as the Sanctuary Movement. It started with a Presbyterian church and a Quaker meeting in Tucson, Arizona. They began legal and humanitarian assistance to Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees in 1980. After two years, none of the refugees they assisted had been granted political asylum. That's when Rev. John Fife of Southside Presbyteria...

On December 15, 2005, the House of Representatives passed HR 4437, also known as the Sensenbrenner Bill. This bill sought to criminalize undocumented people, give the government extraordinary powers to detain non-citizens without meaningful review (and more). Many felt this was unconstitutional, including the immigrant community and the Latino/Latine community. They began to mobilize in numbers th...

In 2017, Diane Marie Rodriguez Zambrano was the first trans person to be elected to the National Assembly of Ecuador. Additionally, she made history in Ecuador by setting legal precedent that paved the way for trans people to be able to legally change their birth given names. Listen to this episode to learn more about Diane and her trailblazing activism and career. If you have topic suggestions, f...

If you’re a Mana fan, you’ve probably heard the Cuando Los Angeles Lloran song, which is about Chico Mendes, but maybe you’ve never learned about Chico’s story beyond Mana’s song. Chico was a rural workers’ rights activist and environmentalist who fought to protect and preserve the Amazon rainforest, and was unfortunately killed for his activism. In this episode, Carmen tells Cristina about Chico...

By the mid 1800s, the population pf Puerto Rico increased to half a million. Despite the increasing population, literacy rates for all of Puerto Rico were about six percent. Only six percent of the population on the island could read and write. Celestina Cordero and her siblings, sought to change this in Puerto Rico and for their entire life, they fought for the education of all. The Cordero sibli...

Comandanta Ramona was born in 1959. She was a Tzotzil Mayan woman & a revolutionary Zapatista who championed indigenous women’s rights. In this episode, Carmen tells Cristina about Comandanta Ramona’s legacy and Cristina has a Bukele/El Salvador update.  If you have topic suggestions, feel free email Historiasunknownpodcast@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historiasunknown/ W Sou...