What to Watch on WTTW for Hispanic Heritage Month
Meredith Francis
September 14, 2026
Hispanic Heritage Month begins September 15 and runs through October 15. Celebrate with programs on WTTW that highlight the rich history, culture, and contributions of Latino communities in Chicago and beyond. Click on the schedule links for additional air times.
Pati’s Mexican Table (Season 15)
Saturdays beginning September 5 at 4:00 pm on WTTW
In season 15, Pati travels through Coahuila, experiencing life and food in the Mexican desert. From carne asada rituals to the wines of Spanish kings, she witnesses the delicate balance between earth and food. Pati’s journey ends at the Rio Grande, right below Texas, where she finds the same belief that guides her: food unites across borders. She brings Coahuila’s flavors to the kitchen to share with us.
Taco Mafia
Sundays beginning September 6 at 4:00 pm and 4:30 pm on WTTW Prime
Follow a group of Austin taqueros as they support each other's businesses and their community.
Chicago Stories: Young Lords of Lincoln Park
Tuesday, September 15 at 7:00 pm on WTTW Prime
There was a time, from the late 1940s through the 1960s, when the now-upscale Lincoln Park neighborhood served as the beating heart of Chicago’s huge Puerto Rican community, and the base of operations for a band of Puerto Rican revolutionaries known as the Young Lords. Stream the show any time and explore the website.
Chicago Stories: Our Soldiers, Our Lady of Guadalupe
Tuesday, September 15 at 8:00 pm on WTTW Prime
This is the story of pride and heartbreak in a close-knit south side community. Our Lady of Guadalupe, Chicago’s first and oldest Mexican-American parish, lost 12 young men in the Vietnam War during a brutal five-year period. Stream the show any time and explore the website.
Leguizamo Does America: NYC
Tuesday, September 15 at 9:00 pm on WTTW
Actor, playwright, comedian, and producer John Leguizamo explores various ways in which Latin culture, though often marginalized, has had a tremendous influence on the nation’s culture capital: New York City.
Weekend in Havana
Friday, September 18 at 9:30 pm on WTTW
Join Geoffrey Baer as he travels to Havana, where a lively group of locals invite him into their lives to experience the beautiful and seductive city. Stream the show any time and explore the website.
La Frontera with Pati Jinich
Saturdays beginning September 19 at 8:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Savor the sights, sounds and flavors of the U.S.-Mexico border alongside acclaimed James Beard Award-winning chef Pati Jinich as she experiences the region's rich culture, people and cuisine.
Voces American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos
Saturdays beginning September 19 at 9:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Join actor John Leguizamo on a quest to uncover Latino and Latina heroes and their contributions. In this three-part series, 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.
Velvet (Season 3)
Saturday, September 19 at 10:00 pm on WTTW
As season 3 commences, Alberto and Ana can express their love openly, but a surprise at an award ceremony could change everything. Mateo hides Barbara from Clara. For Patricia, it’s time to choose a side.
Leguizamo Does America: Chicago
Sunday, September 20 at 6:00 pm on WTTW
John travels to middle America to learn about how both the Mexican and Puerto Rican communities of Chicago have transformed the city into Chicagolandia; he learns about the deep roots in activism and resistance these communities have displayed.
Voces On PBS: Almost American
Sunday, September 20 at 9:00 pm on WTTW Prime
In 2018, the Department of Homeland Security terminated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for almost all TPS holders – foreign nationals from countries beset by civil unrest, violence, or natural disaster who are permitted lawful residence in the United States, the majority of whom are from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti. The decision left American families on the brink of a family separation crisis – not on the border, but in communities across the United States.
American Masters – Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined
Sunday, September 20 at 10:30 pm on WTTW Prime
Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined is a documentary film about the life and work of Julia Alvarez, one of America's most celebrated Latina writers. Called “a writer of gigantic storytelling talent, and exquisitely composed prose,” Alvarez has helped blaze the trail for generations of Latino authors helping transform American culture and literature.
Dia de Los Muertos
Saturday, September 26 at 11:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Celebrate the popular tradition observed by people of Mexican heritage everywhere with a new musical and cultural fiesta featuring rock greats Los Lobos, the salsa-rap-reggae-funk band Ozomatli and the all-female mariachi band Flor de Toloache.
Voces: American Sons
Sunday, September 27 at 8:00 pm on WTTW Prime
Follow a group of Marines a decade after their deployment to Afghanistan as they navigate the lingering trauma of war and the devastating loss of their comrade, Corporal JV Villarreal. Through Villarreal's haunting first-person video diary, audiences gain an intimate view of life on the front lines and the unbreakable bonds formed through sacrifice. The film serves as a poignant exploration of resilience, grief, and the urgent need for mental health support.
Voces: Omara - Cuba’s Legendary Diva
Monday, September 28 at 9:00 pm on WTTW
Meet the beloved Cuban singer Omara Portuondo, who has thrilled audiences for more than 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.
Leguizamo Does America: Miami
Sunday, October 4 at 2:30 pm on WTTW
John visits Miami to find out why the city has become such a Mecca for Latinos leaving their homeland and to show how their culture and flair have made Miami a true slice of all things Latin within the U.S.
Leguizamo Does America: Puerto Rico
Sunday, October 4 at 3:15 pm on WTTW
John travels to the island of Puerto Rico to highlight the many ways in which the island and its people have influenced American culture and the ways America is influencing theirs.
American Masters – American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
Tuesday, October 6 at 8:00 pm on WTTW
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.
VOCES – ASCO: Without Permission
Sunday, October 4 at 12:00 pm on WTTW
ASCO: Without Permission challenges the limits of documentary conventions to tell the story of a revolutionary Chicano art group who turned 1970s LA into their defiant canvas. Merging activism with radical art-making, ASCO challenged the established order of Hollywood, museums, and media and are now considered amongst the 20th century’s most significant artists.
39th Hispanic Heritage Awards
Sunday, October 4 at 1:30 pm on WTTW
Join the Hispanic Heritage Foundation in celebrating Latino history and culture as we induct the newest class of Hispanic Heritage Award honorees, with performances by some of the most talented names in Latin Music.
Great Performances at the Met: El Último Sueño De Frida Y Diego
Sunday, October 18 at 1:00 pm on WTTW
American composer Gabriela Lena Frank makes her Met debut with her first opera, a magical-realist portrait of Mexico's painterly power couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, with libretto by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz. Fashioned as a reversal of the Orpheus and Euridice myth, the story depicts Frida leaving the underworld on the Day of the Dead and reuniting with Diego.
Voces – Paquito D'Rivera: from Carne Y Frijol to Carnegie Hall
Sunday, October 18 at 3:00 pm on WTTW
Meet jazz legend Paquito D'Rivera and follow his extraordinary journey from child prodigy in Havana, Cuba to multiple Grammy winning performer and composer. Featuring performances and collaborations with pianist Chucho Valdes and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
