alt.Latino

Cuban vocalist Daymé Arocena (above) and Puerto Rican vocalist iLe are featured in this week's show. Pablo Dewin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Vocalists Lila Downs (pictured), Li Saumet and Ana Tijoux are featured in this week's show. Marcela Taboada/Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Vocalist Betsayda Machado's Afro-Latinx culture is explored in this week's show. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Alt.Latino host Felix Contreras interviews Amara La Negra over lunch. Marisa Arbona-Ruiz/NPR hide caption

Residente (right) and Bad Bunny call for Puerto Rican governor Ricardo Rosselló's resignation in San Juan on July 17, 2019. Eric Rojas/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

We try to understand how musical titans with incredibly different sounds and styles, like Celia Cruz and Selena, fit under the same 'Latin music' genre. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

Rita Moreno, whose portrayal of Anita in the 1961 West Side Story earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, attends the premiere of the 2021 remake. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Puerto Rican pop star Rauw Alejandro was a top pick for Alt.Latino's Best Of 2021 panel. Rodrigo Varela/Getty Images for The Latin Recor hide caption

Spanish vocalist C. Tangana was a top pick for Alt.latino's Best Of 2021 panel. Arturo Holmes/Getty Images hide caption

The Paths of Pain, The Caife Label, Quito 1960-68 and Cantoras: Rural Folk Singers of Venezuela 1972-1983 Honest Jon's Records/Odelia Records hide caption

A Day of the Dead altar at a public shrine in the historic city center of Oaxaca, Mexico. Gabriel Perez/Getty Images hide caption

Shakira onstage during her MTV Unplugged performance, recorded in New York in 1999 and released as a live album in early 2000. Ignacio Gurruchaga/Courtesy of Sony Music hide caption

We take a look at a few greats, old and new: Vicente Fernandez, Susana Baca, Cimafunk. Reanna Cruz/NPR Illustration hide caption

Pop-rock star Juanes (left) and Swedish singer-songwriter José González (right.) NPR Illustration hide caption

Musician/activist Natalia Serna (aka La Muna) is featured in one of the stories from the border this week. Noelle Haro-Gomez./palaabra/NAHJ hide caption

Isabel Allende's (right) newest memoir is The Soul of a Woman, and Sandra Cisneros' (left) latest book is a bilingual tale of ex-pat Latinas in Paris, Martita, I Remember You/Martita, te recuerdo. Leonardo Cendamo/Getty Images / NPR Illustration hide caption

From left, producer Sebastian Krys, vocalist Nina Diaz and musician Elvis Costello reimagined a 1970s classic album. Paul Moore/Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Eblis Alvaraez (Meridian Brothers) and Iván Medellin (Conjunto Media Luna) have one of the albums featured this week. Courtesy of the Artist hide caption

Ana Macho's "Cuerpa" is featured on this week's episode. YouTube hide caption

Gina Chavez, who was a Tiny Desk Contest judge in 2020, was overwhelmed by the Latin entries for 2021. Ismael Quintanilla III/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

We follow Latin Urban's trail from Panama to Puerto Rico to the world stage, including international superstar Bad Bunny. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Savage X Fenty hide caption

From Havana to Miami (pictured here), protestors have chanted, "Patria y Vida," or homeland and life, a clever play on the revered, long-held mantra of the Cuban government: patria o muerte. Scott McIntyre/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide caption