How can two brothers turn out so utterly different? Born 15 years apart to different fathers, Roy and Reynaldo found very different paths as they grew up. By the time he reached adulthood, Reynaldo decided he’d had enough of his brother’s criminal antics. After Roy died in prison, it took Reynaldo years before he was ready to try to make sense of the life his brother led — in fact, it took a dream.

What we learned on this journey was more than just the shocking truth about Roy —  we would uncover a connection to legendary criminals and folk heroes.  We’d also dig deeply into the indigenous struggles of North America.

Like many Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, Reynaldo assumed his family’s ties to their indigenous roots were severed centuries ago. But as we discovered, that rupture was not so far in the past. The trauma and scars remain alive in the present — from massacres and enslavement to lynchings, extermination and displacement.

For Reynaldo what started as a search for insight about his brother turned into a journey that spanned cultures, nations and centuries — a journey of discovery about the ongoing struggle for a sense of place and self in the American West.

Produced by Julie Reynolds Martinez and Mara Reynolds. For detailed show notes, visit grayarepodcast.com.