© 2025 New England Public Media

FCC public inspection files:
WGBY • WFCR • WNNZ • WNNU • WNNZ-FM • WNNI

For assistance accessing our public files, please contact hello@nepm.org or call 413-781-2801.
PBS, NPR and local perspective for western Mass.
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Access to this video is a benefit to members
Sign In
Learn More
Finding Your Roots

Mexican Roots

Season 8 Episode 5 | 49m 54s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the deep Mexican roots of talk show host Mario Lopez and comedian Melissa Villaseñor, uncovering ancestors stretching back to the 1500s. Weaving together stories of migratory farmers, Spanish Conquistadors and Native Americans, Gates conjures up personal histories of diverse, sometimes conflicting, elements.

Aired: 01/31/22
Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.
Extra
Watch • 2:09
American Masters
Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire
Learn about Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize-winning author of Night.
Preview: S40 E1 | 2:09
Watch • 0:30
FRONTLINE
"2,000 Meters to Andriivka" - Preview
A stunning portrayal of war in the trenches from the Oscar®-winning team behind 20 Days in Mariupol.
Preview: S2025 E15 | 0:30
Watch • 0:30
Great Performances
"Twelfth Night" Preview
The Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identity tells the misadventures of Sebastian and Viola.
Preview: S53 E4 | 0:30
Watch • 0:30
Nature
Preview of Jaguar Beach
On Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, turtles and jaguars collide in unexpected ways.
Preview: S44 E4 | 0:30
Watch • 2:07
Antiques Roadshow
Appraisal: 1909 Lella Grace Woodward Oil Painting
Appraisal: 1909 Lella Grace Woodward Oil Painting
Clip: S29 E24 | 2:07
Watch • 0:30
Great Performances
"Tiler Peck: Suspending Time" Preview
Follow prima ballerina Tiler Peck as she overcomes injury and pursues a new career as choreographer.
Preview: S53 E3 | 0:30
Watch • 3:44
Great Performances
How Tiler Peck Started in New York on Broadway
Acclaimed dancer Tiler Peck explains how she got her start on Broadway at 11.
Clip: S53 E3 | 3:44
Watch • 3:17
Great Performances
Ballerina Tiler Peck Battles a Neck Injury
Dancer Tiler Peck works to recover from a debilitating neck injury.
Clip: S53 E3 | 3:17
Watch • 2:08
Great Performances
Tiler Peck prepares to perform "Swift Arrow" by Alonzo King
Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia prepare to perform "Swift Arrow" by Alonzo King.
Clip: S53 E3 | 2:08
Watch • 0:30
Nature
Preview of The Pigeon Hustle
Uncover the secret world of New York and London’s resilient pigeon flocks.
Preview: S44 E3 | 0:30
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Finding Your Roots Season 11
  • Finding Your Roots Season 10
  • Finding Your Roots Season 9
  • Finding Your Roots Season 8
  • Finding Your Roots Season 7
  • Finding Your Roots Season 6
  • Finding Your Roots Season 5
  • Finding Your Roots Season 4
  • Finding Your Roots Season 3
  • Finding Your Roots Season 2
  • Finding Your Roots Season 1
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Finding My Roots
Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Episode: S11 E10 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Moving On Up
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Sheryl Lee Ralph & historian Lonnie Bunch.
Episode: S11 E9 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
The Butterfly Effect
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family trees of actors Debra Messing & Melanie Lynskey.
Episode: S11 E8 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
The Ties That Bind
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of married actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard.
Episode: S11 E7 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Latin Roots
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. meets musician Rubén Blades & journalist Natalie Morales.
Episode: S11 E6 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Family Recipes
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the ancestry of notable chefs José Andrés & Sean Sherman.
Episode: S11 E5 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Dreamers One And All
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the ancestry of actor Sharon Stone & model Chrissy Teigen.
Episode: S11 E4 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Stranger Than Fiction
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
Episode: S11 E3 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
La Famiglia
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the Italian roots of Joy Behar & Michael Imperioli.
Episode: S11 E2 | 52:10
Watch • 52:10
Finding Your Roots
Larger Than Life
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. connects Lea Salonga & Amanda Seyfried to their dramatic ancestors.
Episode: S11 E1 | 52:10