Before 86-year-old Luis Valdez directed the play “Zoot Suit” and the film “La Bamba”, he was staging theater in the back of a flatbed truck in the fields of California for farmworkers campesinas on strike. His work in El Teatro Campesino would eventually make its way to Broadway and then Hollywood, paving the way for Chicano stories to be told with dignity and nuance in American culture. Now, he’s the subject of a new documentary: “American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez.”  On this episode, host Maria Hinojosa talks with Luis Valdez and director David Alvarado, the documentary’s director. They talk about making history, the importance of sharing archival footage from the past, and about artistic inspiration.

This episode will be published Sunday, Sept. 27. Come back for more! 

Host: Maria Hinojosa

Producer: Adreanna Rodriguez 

Editor: Fernanda Evhavarri

Fact Checker: Roxanna Aguirre

Social Media: Mary Juarez and Essam Aljahmi

Engineer: Stephanie Lebow

Managing Editor: Fernanda Echavarri

Executive Producers: Peniley Ramírez and Maria Hinojosa