WETA Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Friday, September 4 at 10pm on WETA PBS

Celebrated Colombian superstar Carlos Vives, an 18-time Latin Grammy and multiple Grammy Award winner, performs with his big band, showcasing songs from El Último Disco alongside a career-spanning collection of beloved hits.

Saturday, September 5 at 11:30am on WETA PBS

Season 15 takes viewers to Coahuila, a state in northern Mexico to explore its rich culture. It is a land of dramatic contrasts – vast cattle ranches where charros still ride with pride and ancient gypsum dunes that shimmer white against the desert sky.

Saturday, September 5 at 7:30pm on WETA Metro

Grammy award winning Singer Gloria Estefan reflects on how her love for music got her through difficult times in life and gave her purpose to help others with her own music.

Thursday, September 10 at 8pm on WETA Metro

Explore the life of celebrated artist Frida Kahlo in a three-part docuseries. See the major personal and political events of her life, including her stormy and devoted relationship with artist Diego Rivera, whom she married not once but twice.

Repeats on 9/12 at 1pm

Tuesday, September 15 at 9pm on WETA PBS

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.

Repeats on 9/19 at 10pm

Saturday, September 19 at 7pm on WETA PBS

Join creator and host John Leguizamo on a quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions. 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.

Sunday, September 20 at 4pm on WETA PBS

Immigrant grooms work year-round on the hidden “backside” of Churchill Downs. Rising before dawn, they care for some of the world’s most prized Kentucky Derby racehorses, revealing how race, labor, and class shape an elite American industry. Backside: The Unseen Hands of Horse Racing honors the resilience that’s behind the spectacle.

Thursday, September 24 at 9:30pm on WETA Metro

As a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces obstacles to obtain his college degree, become a social worker, and support his family. Uncertainty looms over him even after he graduates. Through experimental cinematography and sound, unseen reimagines the accessibility of cinema, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability, and mental health.

Monday, September 28 at 9:30pm on WETA PBS

This episode, Seth savors D.C.’s delectable Latin cuisine! Seth first ventures south to flag down the hit food truck Lechonera DMV in Woodbridge, VA to try their authentic Puerto Rican lechon. He then samples the complex and flavorful Braised Short Rib Mole at the casually stylish Lime & Cilantro in Silver Spring, MD, then finishes at Adams Morgan’s Ceibo for Chorizo Dumplings in a kombu broth.

Monday, September 28 at 10pm on WETA PBS

Meet the beloved Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, who has thrilled audiences for over half a century, from the stages of Havana’s legendary nightclubs to her worldwide fame as part of the Grammy-winning Buena Vista Social Club.

Wednesday, September 30 at 4pm on WETA PBS

Meet the Mambo Legends Orchestra, committed to keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders Machito, Tito Puente, and Tito Rodriguez alive for future generations.

Thursday, October 1 at 8pm on WETA PBS

Actor John Leguizamo takes a road trip across the country to bring viewers inside America’s thriving Latino communities – all with his characteristic edge, energy, and wit. From San Juan to East L.A., Leguizamo celebrates the history, culture, food, and other contributions of Latino people shaping America. It’s part politics, part road trip, and part history lesson.

Friday, October 2 at 9pm on WETA PBS

Celebrate the recipients of the 39th annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country's most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries.

Friday, October 2 at 10pm on WETA PBS

Meet the groundbreaking Chicano art group that transformed 1970s Los Angeles streets into canvases of defiance and expression, now recognized as one of the 20th century's most influential collectives. Produced by Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna.

Tuesday, October 6 at 9pm on WETA PBS

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.

Repeats on 10/10 at 10pm

Tuesday, October 6 at 10:30pm on WETA PBS

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s. Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.

Monday, October 12 at 10pm on WETA PBS

Through music and memories, celebrate the life and legacy of jazz legend Paquito D'Rivera. Trace his journey from child prodigy in Cuba to a stellar career as a multi-GRAMMY Award-winning musician, composer, and beloved Latin jazz ambassador.