John Leguizamo (Critical Thinking) knows a thing or two about history. His hit one-man-show Latin History for Morons was nominated for a Tony Award in 2018 and has been used as a learning tool for people who weren’t paying attention in their Latin history courses in college.
Now, Leguizamo is diving into a different kind of history in Latin America–the mysterious kind.
In the original History Channel series Inexplicable Latinoamérica with John Leguizamo, the Colombian American actor, director, writer and producer will team up with scientists, historians, experts and witnesses to analyze some of the most perplexing subjects from that part of the world.
Some of the stories Leguizamo and his team will examine include the creepy legend of El Chupacabra, a creature known for attacking livestock and drinking their blood, the life of famed Brazilian spiritual medium Chico Xavier and the 1978 Tour of South America about an alleged UFO abduction that took place in Argentina.
“I was very proud and excited that they selected me for this opportunity,” Leguizamo said during a press conference. “I am very honored to talk about our issues, our stories [and] our mysteries. We have many inexplicable things that I want to give voice to and bring to the screen.”
Also participating in the press conference was Carlos Páez, one of the Uruguayan survivors of a plane crash that took place in the Andes in 1972. The 16 survivors spent 72 days and resorted to cannibalism to survive. Their story was portrayed in the 1993 film Alive.
“If there is something inexplicable, it is our history,” Páez said. “The important thing about this story is that it was carried out by ordinary people. We were not gifted. We did not know about the cold or the snow. Then it was much more inexplicable still that people who did not know what it was to have a bad time could survive 70 days. It is a time where one sees the human being’s ability to evolve, transform and move forward.”
Inexplicable Latinoamérica with John Leguizamo premieres on the History Channel May 23.