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VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos

Traqueros and the Building of the Southwest

John Leguizamo explores the Mexican traqueros instrumental in building the Southwest.

Aired 10/04/2024

VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos

Traqueros and the Building of the Southwest

Clip: Episode 2 | 1m 48sVideo has Closed Captions

John Leguizamo explores the Mexican traqueros instrumental in building the Southwest.

After the Civil War, goods were in high demand, especially in the West where towns and cities were springing up overnight. But major railroad infrastructure was needed to connect the wide-spanning country – and Mexican and Mexican American track workers known as “traqueros” were instrumental in bringing the railways to the Southwest, allowing for the rise of cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles.

Aired 10/04/2024

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Funding for American Historia is provided, in part, by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, The WNET Group’s Chasing the Dream initiative, the Ford Foundation/JustFilms, and Seton J. Melvin.

Latino Patriots in the American Revolution

Video has Closed Captions

Discover the contributions of Latinos in the fight for American independence. (4m 45s)

Providing Support for PBS.org

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Funding for American Historia is provided, in part, by PBS, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Anderson Family Charitable Fund, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, The WNET Group’s Chasing the Dream initiative, the Ford Foundation/JustFilms, and Seton J. Melvin.

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