but everybody just calls it the bean. but you know what chicago is not known for? latinos. cause when you think mexican, you think what? texas or cali? and puerto ricans, you think new york city immediately. but nope, they re right here in chi town. that s right, chicago has the second-largest mexican population of any u.s. city and a very, very large, thriving puerto rican community. latinos have been here longer than wrigley field, and they ve brought their amazing culture with them. i m talking food from michoacán and salsa from san juan. waves of latinos came to america s heartland and they worked in its factories, farms, and service industries and they turned chicagoland into chicagolandia. so i m here to find out what kind of impact decades of latinx influence have had on the windy city. and i m gonna have some amazing food, because you know that happens a lot on this show. it s right here in my contract. feed john. [tracks clacking] [upbeat horn-driven music]
ok, i know it s really called cloud gate, but everybody just calls it the bean. but you know what chicago is not known for? latinos. cause when you think mexican, you think what? texas or cali? and puerto ricans, you think new york city immediately. but nope, they re right here in chi town. that s right, chicago has the second-largest mexican population of any u.s. city and a very, very large, thriving puerto rican community. latinos have been here longer than wrigley field, and they ve brought their amazing culture with them. i m talking food from michoacán and salsa from san juan. waves of latinos came to america s heartland and they worked in its factories, farms, and service industries and they turned chicagoland into chicagolandia. so i m here to find out what kind of impact decades of latinx influence have had on the windy city. and i m gonna have some amazing food, because you know that happens a lot on this show. it s right here in my contract. feed john. [t
but you know what chicago is not known for? latinos. cause when you think mexican, you think what? texas or cali? and puerto ricans, you think new york city immediately. but nope, they re right here in chi town. that s right, chicago has the second-largest mexican population of any u.s. city and a very, very large, thriving puerto rican community. latinos have been here longer than wrigley field, and they ve brought their amazing culture with them. i m talking food from michoacán and salsa from san juan. waves of latinos came to america s heartland and they worked in its factories, farms, and service industries and they turned chicagoland into chicagolandia. so i m here to find out what kind of impact decades of latinx influence have had on the windy city. and i m gonna have some amazing food, because you know that happens a lot on this show. it s right here in my contract. feed john. [tracks clacking] [upbeat horn-driven music] - [trills] [upbeat music] i m h
Waves of latinos came to americas heartland and they worked in its factories, farms, and Service Industries and they turned chicagoland into chicagolandia. So im here to find out what kind of impact decades of latinx influence have had on the windy city. And im gonna have some amazing food, because you know that happens a lot on this show. Its right here in my contract. Feed john. [tracks clacking] [upbeat horndriven music] [trills] [upbeat music] im here on chicagos west side in la villita, or Little Village, where theres one of the largest Mexican American communities in the midwest. The mexicans who settled here came looking for work and ended up creating the secondbiggest economy in chicago right here on 26th street, the mexican magnificent mile. With over hundreds of shops, i needed a local guide, so im meeting up with hollywood legend and chicago native, michael pena. You might have seen him in his breakout role in crash. You talking about that bullet that came through your windo
i called on the man about town, mikey oquendo. [upbeat music] mikey o grew up here and has everyone on speed dial. nobody knows this neighborhood better than him. - we re approaching la division, division street in chicago, which is central to the humboldt park community. puerto ricans know it as la division. - la division. - every puerto rican in chicago has a division street story because there is a little bit of everything, right? you ve got el mercado, the wepa market. it s an opportunity for young entrepreneurship. then you ve got urbantheater company. - right. - to get folks here an opportunity to experience theater. - but humboldt park wasn t always this way. the chicago machine structure affected all latinx communities, and it took generations of puerto ricans demanding equality to make change. - this was a very, very segregated city. we couldn t go in certain areas where, you know, it was clear that puerto ricans were not welcome. the injustices that were happening in this com