John Leguizamo reaches back in time to reclaim Latin American history for a PBS documentary series

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} If you think Latin American history starts with Christopher Columbus, John Leguizamo would like to have a word. “It helps me to keep going in today’s America that is a difficult landscape at the moment.” Leguizamo is spreading the word with a new PBS three-part series, “VOCES American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos,” which unspools the fascinating history and often overlooked contributions of Latino people. The first part includes the legacy of the Taino, Maya, Aztec and Inca, or as Leguizamo calls them, “the OG civilizations of Latin America.” Then the show explores the Latino roles in the American Revolution and Civil War and the building of the United States. The show was inspired in large part by Leguizamo's latest one-man show on Broadway, “Latin History for Morons,” an examination of Latin heroes prompted by a school essay requested by his son's private school.