Latin Roots

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps musician Rubén Blades & journalist Natalie Morales uncover their hidden roots in Latin America, revealing secrets that their ancestors went to great lengths to conceal. Traveling from Puerto Rico to Columbia to Brazil, Gates & his guests recover long-lost family stories—meet heroes and villains—and celebrate the virtue of accepting one’s relatives whoever they may be.

Rubén learns about the difficult life of his African ancestor in Panama on his mother's side.

Natalie Morales learns about her maternal third great grandfather, Domingos, a farmer born in Brazil, a father to thirteen children. Going further back, Henry Louis Gates and researchers determine her first ancestor to come to Brazil from Portugal.