Latino-Hispanic

La Recua: The Mule Pack Train • WXXI-TV

An aging vaquero who lives in the heart of Baja, guards much of the Old Californio traditional knowledge in his mind and soul.

La Recua: The Mule Pack Train airs Saturday, October 4 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

It’s all about cowboys, mules and desert trails… but it’s so much more! An aging vaquero who lives in the heart of Baja, guards much of the Old Californio traditional knowledge in his mind and soul…. and he wants to tell his story!

Broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles.

Great Performances: The Magic of Grace Bumbry • WXXI-TV

Discover Grace Bumbry’s inspiring rise to global opera fame.

Great Performances: The Magic of Grace Bumbry airs Friday, October 3 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

The Magic of Grace Bumbry recounts the story of the African American Missouri native who rose to fame in the 1960s international opera scene. Bumbry’s rise began in the 1950s when she won a radio competition at the age of 17. Encountering racism when she was prevented from studying at the St. Louis Institute of Music, she nevertheless achieved international renown with her breakthrough performance in Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at the 1961 Bayreuth Festival, in which she appeared for 40 performances. The film explores Grace Bumbry’s groundbreaking career, featuring performances from her early career leading up to her role in the 1966 Salzburg Festival production of “Carmen,” directed by German conductor Herbert von Karajan.

The film follows the format of previous documentaries from Great Performances’ “Magic of” series, including The Magic of Spirituals highlighting opera stars Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman and The Magic of Nureyev, which explored the career of ballet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev. Featuring interviews with singer and vocal coach David Lee Brewer, opera singer Felicia Weathers, opera singer Anna Tomowa-Sintow and La Scala general director Dominique Meyer.

Songs About Buildings and Moods • WXXI-TV

What do the buildings we create say about us? How does a musical interpretation change our perception of a building?

Songs About Buildings and Moods, Season 2 airs Sunday, September 28 at 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

How does a musical interpretation change our perception of a building? Songs About Buildings and Moods, a five-part series uses storytelling and performance to create a unique series exploring the connection between music and architecture. The buildings include Saarinen’s masterpiece for TWA, Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum and a Black church in Chicago among others.

Episode titles & dates:
9/28 Ex Teresa Arte Actual and George Peabody Library Discover Ex Teresa Arte Actual in Mexico City and the George Peabody Library in Baltimore.
10/5 Estudios Churubusco and the Fisher Building Visit the birthplace of Mexico’s Golden Era of Cinema, the Estudios Churubusco.
10/12 Biblioteca Vasconcelos and Ohio State Reformatory Get a glimpse of Mexico City’s Biblioteca Vasconcelos with their floating shelves.
10/19 Brooklyn Tower and the Wrigley BuildingExplore Brooklyn’s first super-tall tower and Chicago’s Wrigley Building.
10/26 Stony Island Arts Bank and Cranbrook Academy of Art Discover Stony Island Arts Bank and the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Omara — Cuba’s Legendary Diva • WXXI-TV

Enjoy this celebratory portrait of beloved Cuban singer Omara Portuondo.

Omara — Cuba’s Legendary Diva airs Friday, September 26 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the PBS app.

This heartfelt documentary follows Omara Portuondo, a driving force in Afro-Cuban music for over half a century, as she performs for passionate fans from Cuba to New York to Tokyo.

Omara: La Diva Legendaria de Cuba — Viernes, 26 de septiembre, a las 10 p. m. en WXXI-TV
Este conmovedor documental sigue a Omara Portuondo, una fuerza impulsora de la música afrocubana durante más de medio siglo, mientras actúa para sus apasionados fanáticos desde Cuba hasta Nueva York y Tokio.

Cultural Expressions: Pride, Heritage, and Family • WXXI-TV

In memoriam of Víctor Antonetti Sr., the founder of Orquesta Antonetti and a beloved figure in the Rochester Latin music community, WXXI brings to you an encore show about Latin music and its vibrance in the Rochester Latin community, featuring Víctor Antonetti Sr.

Cultural Expressions: Pride, Heritage, and Family reairs Friday, September 5 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

In this 2016 episode of Cultural Expressions, Julio Saenz, author of “Rochester’s Latino Community,” along with members of two prominent families—Antonetti and Padilla—and members of the City of Rochester Hispanic Heritage Committee engage in meaningful conversations about the lives, contributions, and history of Rochester’s Hispanic community. Featuring siblings: Nydia, Annette, and Tony Padilla; siblings Víctor and Maria Antonetti; and Ray Mayoliz, Erica Hernandez, and Johanna Santiago from the City of Rochester Hispanic Heritage Committee.

Born in Salinas, Puerto Rico in 1948 and moving to Rochester in 1956, Víctor founded Orquesta Antonetti in 1970 alongside family members. The band quickly became a big part of the burgeoning Salsa music scene in Rochester and soon grew into a versatile ensemble performing merengue, mambo, tango, jazz, and more. Antonetti Sr. recently received the Key to the City of Rochester from Mayor Malik Evans for his distinct contribution to the city’s cultural history, inspiring audiences and bridging cultures through his artistry and leadership. Antonetti Sr. passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025 at the age of 77.

You can also watch the episode on-demand here:

Photo: Víctor Antonetti Sr. playing congas.
Credit: Provided/Víctor Antonetti Jr.

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It • WXXI-TV

Discover how Rita Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award winners with new interviews, clips of her iconic roles and scenes of the star on set today.

Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It airs Friday, September 26 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

This documentary explores the star’s rich, 70-year long career using vérité footage of Moreno today, archival footage of her roles and appearances, reenactments of her childhood, and animation and interviews with Moreno, those close to her and performers she influenced. It also delves into the lesser-known struggles Moreno faced on her path to stardom, including pernicious Hollywood sexism and sexual abuse, a toxic relationship with Marlon Brando and an attempted suicide a year before she won her Oscar. Film interviewees include Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, and more.

Photo: Portrait of film and Broadway actor Rita Moreno as she puts on makeup in the mirror.
Credit: PBS.

Growing Up Latina

Being a young Latina means living within a vibrant and varied global culture. It also means navigating identity and intersectionality. Rosanna discovers that friendship can cross all borders; Ana describes her last night at home before leaving Cuba forever; and Michele turns lemons into lemonade when she gets busted moonlighting. Three storytellers, three interpretations of GROWING UP LATINA from Stories from the Stage.

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos Educational Resources

“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 new three-part series brings acclaimed Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo’s passion from the stage to the screen.

Educational Resources:

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

Backgrounder Interviews

Podcast: NPR Fresh Air October 2, 2024 show interviewed John Leguizamo about how he was helping his son with a school project because his son was being bullied. He learned how little Latino history, if any, was represented in textbooks and classes. It led him to research Latino role in U.S. history and changing his whole outlook on representation and little-known history. This eventually led to VOCES American Historia, a three-part PBS docuseries he co-created with director Ben DeJesus. The series features interviews and facts that highlight Latino contributions to American history and culture.

PBS Filmmakers Q&A: Join actor John Leguizamo on a quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions. In this new three-part series, Leguizamo takes viewers on a captivating journey, delving into both well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history, spanning thousands of years, from the Ancient Empires to the present, and shining a light on the rich and often overlooked history of Latinos. Filmmakers Q&A

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.

See the Extended Preview Trailer