American Colony opens with a question: When was the first time you realized Puerto Rico was a colony?
For 128 years, Puerto Rico has existed in a political reality that millions of Americans don’t fully understand. American Colony explores how that reality shapes everyday life on the island and across the diaspora.
From military service and baseball to identity, commerce, entertainment, and politics, American Colony traces the systems Puerto Ricans navigate every day and asks what it would take for colonialism to end.
Created by award-winning journalist Julio Ricardo Varela, the first season of American Colony explores how 128 years of colonialism shape the everyday lives of Puerto Ricans on the island and across the diaspora. Season 1 of the series consists of eight episodes produced in English and Spanish, with weekly releases through the end of August. A talk show video format of the series will follow in September as a bridge to Season 2 in 2027.
The series is co-hosted by Varela and Nuria Net and executive produced by both, along with The Latino Newsletter’s senior producer, Joaquín Cotler.
The series is co-hosted by Varela and Nuria Net and executive produced by both, along with The Latino Newsletter’s senior producer, Joaquín Cotler. Net is the founder of Shake It Easy Media, which is co-producing the series with The Latino Newsletter. A co-founder of Remezcla, she has produced shows for Amazon Music, The Latin Recording Academy, and the award-winning documentary series Punk In Translation for Audible. Cotler’s credits include Road to Rickwood, The Sum of Us, La Brega, and The Last Cup.
American Colony premieres July 4, 2026, and is available on The Latino Newsletter podcast feed, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.
