Latino-Hispanic

American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez Screening & Discussion • WXXI Studios

Join WXXI for a FREE screening of American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, a film produced, written and directed by David Alvarado. Follow the legacy of filmmaker and playwright Luis Valdez. A founding figure of the Chicano Movement, Valdez is best known for his play Zoot Suit, the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba and the theatre company El Teatro Campesino.

The film screening will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Julio Sáenz, WXXI Chief Content Officer. Panel TBD.

Details:
“American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez” Screening & Panel Discussion
Thursday, October 1, 2026. Doors open at 6 p.m. Screening starts at 6:30 p.m.
WXXI Studio A
280 State Street, Rochester, NY 14614

Parking available next door at High Falls Garage.

This event is free, but reservations are required due to limited space. Event Details Here

Reserve Your Spot

Cover Photo: Luis Valdez in interview. Credit: Frasier Bradshaw.

About the film:
The son of migrant farmworkers who became a revolutionary artist, Luis Valdez changed American culture. In the 1960s, his El Teatro Campesino performed on flatbed trucks and helped mobilize farmworkers to win their first union contract. In 1979, his “Zoot Suit” was the first Chicano play ever performed on Broadway. His feature film, “La Bamba” was a breakout blockbuster in 1987 that authentically depicted Mexican American life and shared it with the world. Founded in 1965, Valdez’s El Teatro continues to be a beacon for Latino/a creators. American Pachuco is the story of a pioneering artist who gave voice to the overlooked and opened pathways for generations. Learn more at the American Masters’ Episode Website

Official Trailer

American Masters “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined • WXXI-TV

Explore the story of Dominican-American poet and novelist Julia Alvarez, who burst onto the literary scene and blazed a trail for a generation of Latino authors.

American Masters “Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined airs Tuesday, September 15 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Her semi-autobiographical novel, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, was published in 1991, followed in 1994 by In the Time of the Butterflies, which sold over a million copies and raised global awareness about life under Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. Spanning multiple genres and audiences, Alvarez’s work includes three nonfiction books, three poetry collections, 11 books for children and young adults and seven literary novels. This new documentary opens a window into her extraordinary journey from an idyllic, privileged childhood in the Dominican Republic to a life of exile in New York City to a brilliant literary career that shows no sign of slowing down. At 74, she recently published the critically acclaimed novel The Cemetery of Untold Stories.

Filmed in the U.S. and the Dominican Republic, Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined features extensive interviews with Alvarez, her family, and her literary contemporaries. The documentary is produced and directed by Adriana Bosch, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who served as series producer on the PBS series Latino Americans (2013) and Latin Music USA (2009). Born in Cuba, Bosch has produced and written a number of films for the PBS series American Experience, including a film on Fidel Castro and several acclaimed presidential biographies.

Photo credit: Corey Hendrickson

Concierto • WXXI Classical

Enjoy this weekly program of classical music presented in Spanish and English.

Concierto airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FM 91.5 and streaming live on WXXIClassical.org.

Concierto is the first classical music program to specifically target Latino listeners. Host Frank Dominguez presents classical music in English and in Spanish. Music by Spanish and Latin American composers such as Enrique Granados and Astor Piazzolla is alternated with classical favorites performed by Hispanic artists such as conductor Gustavo Dudamel, pianist Gabriela Montero, guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and singer Placido Domingo. Through its bilingual presentation, Concierto provides an entry point for Latinos interested in learning more about classical music. It also appeals to Hispanics already familiar with classical music by celebrating the diversity of their culture and its contributions to classical music.

Cielo • The Little Theatre

How far would you go to reach heaven? Santa, a young indigenous girl, embarks on a rollercoaster journey to take her mother out of a life of hardship and into eternal paradise.

Cielo plays at The Little Theatre on Sunday, September 20 at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 27 at 12 p.m.

Eight-year-old Santa (Fernanda Gutiérrez Aranda) liberates her mother from the hands of an abusive father. Infused with the powers of a goldfish she swallowed whole, she sets off on a fantastical road trip toward a heaven in the sky she believes is as real as the ground beneath her. On her journey through the otherworldly Bolivian Altiplano, she tests the faith of a priest, befriends a troupe of cholita wrestlers, and clashes with a burnt-out cop grieving the death of his wife. Eyes firmly on the horizon, she leaves a trail of miracles in her wake and prompts her unlikely followers to question everything they believed was possible.

Shot on location in Bolivia with an eye-popping color palette, Spanish filmmaker Alberto Sciamma’s magical realist road movie bursts with empathy and wonder.

Broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles.

Get your tickets here.

Weekend in Havana • WXXI-TV

Travel to Cuba’s vibrant, alluring and rapidly changing capital in “Weekend in Havana.

Weekend in Havana airs Friday, September 25 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Join Geoffrey Baer as he travels to Havana, where dancers, musicians, architects, and writers invite him into their lives to experience the color, culture, and history of a beautiful and seductive city only recently re-opened to Americans. “Weekend in Havana” illuminates and surprises, inviting viewers to experience a Cuba that is sizzling with the energy of new possibilities.

Taco Mafia • WXXI-TV

A new generation of taqueros is showing how to achieve success in a post-pandemic world, while expanding the impact that a business can have in its own community.

Taco Mafia airs Monday, September 21-Friday, September 25 at 3:30pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

For the past several decades, Austin has been a world leader in creative innovation and cultural expression through music, art and cuisine.

Amid rapid change throughout the city of Austin, a new generation of young local taqueros is creating the blueprint on how to achieve professional success in a post-pandemic world, while building lasting relationships and expanding the impact that a business can have in its own community.

The self-proclaimed ‘Taco Mafia’ is forging a new path built on friendship, tradition, authenticity, and a commitment to give back. This docuseries uses cuisine as an entry point to better understand the people behind the food.

Meet their families, see how they were raised, witness the major events that created these spectacular chefs, friends, business owners, and community leaders. Explore the driving forces that helped shape their commitment to building meaningful relationships and creating a sustainable ecosystem in their own industry. And dive into topics that reach far beyond the culinary industry such as entrepreneurship, sustainability, immigration, gentrification, politics and more.

Taco Mafia will also air in its entirety on Sunday, September 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Video Playlist of Clips from The American Revolution

Thirteen American colonies unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations and forever change the world. Watch more here at The American Revolution website.

Watch the Playlist

Latino Patriots in the American Revolution

Discover the contributions of Latinos in the fight for American independence from Britain, Latinos were instrumental in winning the American Revolution. John Leguizamo and historians share stories of Bernardo de Gálvez and other Latino patriots whose contributions were vital in winning the fight for American independence.

“If our contributions were written back into history textbooks, can you imagine how America would see us?’ says Leguizamo. “More importantly, can you imagine how we would see ourselves?” Photo: Creator and host John Leguizamo on the set of AMERICAN HISTORIA./ Credit: NGL Studios

Inspired by his quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions, this clip comes from three-part series brings acclaimed Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo’s passion from the stage to the screen. This clip comes from VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos

American Historia PBS LearningMedia Collection: (6-12): Video clips and classroom resources

The full series is available to watch on Passport if you are a WXXI Member
Episode 1: Echoes of Empires: Join host John Leguizamo as he examines the accomplishments and rise of the Great Empires and civilizations in Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, from the Taino to the Olmec, Inca, Maya, Aztec, and more. Although they were ultimately decimated by the conquistadors, these societies had an enduring influence on culture, agriculture, and the sciences.

Episode 2: Threads in the American Tapestry: Explore how Latino DNA has been woven into the identity of the United States since before her inception, and has been pivotal all along the way. Despite facing severe discrimination and violence, Latinos were present and contributed in pivotal ways to the fabric of this nation. Highlighting key figures and events, host John Leguizamo shows how Latinos helped build the United States we know today.

Episode 3: Solidarity in a New Era: Host John Leguizamo explores the rise of the new empire, the United States. While Latinos were often relegated to the fringes of mainstream society, they made profound contributions to the fabric of the U.S. and beyond. Reflecting on his journey, John learns that Latinos were not just an asterisk in history, but that Latino history is the history of the United States.