Learn Spanish with Stories

Have you ever seen flowers in the desert? One of the most curious climate phenomena worldwide is El Niño, which is the irregular warming of sea surface temperatures, which leads to a cascade of effects on weather patterns and ecosystems. In this episode, we talk about what it involves, how it affects the lives of animals and human beings in Latin America, and what is being done to lessen its effec...

Welcome back to the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, this time for a fourth season! We've returned with a pretty interesting episode about something that isn't talked about enough... Latin America's Space Race! I bet you know the U.S., the EU, China, India and the Soviet Union (back in the day) had all built amazing missions to space, but Latin America doesn't often come to...

It's the final episode of Season 3, so let's admit it: we haven't been fair with Mexico during our podcast's lifetime. Yes, we've talked about the Aztecs, but we've also talked a lot about the border issues, El Chapo, and other negative circumstances in the beautiful country of "El Águila Real" (the Royal Eagle). But it's time to redeem ourselves. In th...

Do you like tea? Sure, maybe. But have you ever tried (or seen someone else try) yerba mate?  Mate goes beyond just a drink. It goes beyond the English tea time or that of other cultures. It's something which is almost... spiritual, you know? Having started as a tradition among the Guarani people and then adopted by Spanish colonizers, this drink has spread across the world and is now seen co...

You know of the Panama Canal (we already talked about it in Season 1 if you didn't), but you probably had no idea that a second canal has been in plans for a very, very long time now - one that passes through Nicaragua (that's north of Panama). But the delays haven't just been a problem of bureaucracy and budget... the canal would actually have to pass through a delicate natural res...

The Jesuits were a Catholic order that was founded in Europe, but which soon expanded to South America to spread the word of God - mainly to Paraguay. However, they had a different way of evangelizing, which made them as interesting as it did controversial... hated, even. You see, the Jesuits didn't believe in forcing their beliefs on the local indigenous tribes or forcing conversion. Instead...

While not a country we hear about often these days, Nicaragua has gone through quite a turbulent history that has left it with long-lasting economic, political and social scars. And leaving aside the subject of Daniel Ortega, current dictator of Nicaragua and one of the longest-lasting presidential terms in the world (with 26 interrupted years in power), Nicaragua's Sandinista revolution, in...

If you want to see historic sights everywhere you go, you go to Europe. But if you want to have fun, Latin America is the place to be. Known as the land of dance, music, and smiles, Latin America just has "something else" that makes it a spicy and sweet combination of great food, fantastic nightlife, and quick friendships unlike any other. It's in the culture. It might even be in th...

There could be a war brewing in South America... and it's a conflict that has been a long time coming. You see, Guyana and Venezuela have been fighting a silent battle for centuries over a large territory that makes up two-thirds of Guyana - the Essequibo. During the late 1800s, Venezuela lost this territory to a treaty signed by the United Kingdom and the United States, and things seemed to...

Love him or hate him, it is clear that Javier Milei has rapidly made himself quite a controversial figure in global politics. Carrying a message that is unique and very different from traditional South American politicians, Milei has vowed to reduce the "parasitic" state in his country. But his appearance may be ideal for the nation, and his recent victory as President of Argentina is a...

Believe it or not, there are communities of people out there who have never been contacted: they've only ever seen a handful of outsiders in their lifetimes, never been on the internet, driven a car (or bicycle) and are still several centuries behind us in terms of technological advancement. It sure is hard to imagine, right? But in fact, that are several communities in South America that are...

Before Simón Bolívar, before José de San Martín, there was someone else. A man who fought for independence not only in South America but in France and the United States, and whose name is the ONLY American one (North or South) to be engraved in the Arc de Triomphe. I'm talking about Francisco de Miranda, who was born around this time of the year in 1750, and who pretty much got the independen...

What will Latin America look like in 2040? It's a question that many experts and onlookers have been asking for a while now. With climate change, socioeconomic equality and the security of the region having become such important subjects in recent decades, one must wonder if the nation comprising Latin America are ready to face them. This is why two experts, Laura and Rafael, have united to c...

We often talk about the "discovery of America" when we speak of Columbus and the Spanish. But they didn't really discover America. Think about it: they only came across a continent that was already populated. So the real question would be: how did the first natives in North and South America come to "discover" this land? After all, science has found that humanity originate...

Bad Bunny, Karol G, and even Shakira in more recent years... If these names don't sound like anything to you, it's time to dust those earphones off and tune in to the most recent craze of Latin American music that has dominated the planet: reggaeton. Originating in the Caribbean as a result of fusing traditional reggae and Jamaican dancehall, reggaeton has outgrown its forebears and beco...

You've probably wondered what's beyond the veil between life and death, and that's normal. But some people really want to take it beyond just wondering and actually discover what that is. In the case of the two men we'll talk about today, a Spaniard doctor by the name of Pedro González de Velasco, and a German doctor named Gottfried Knoche, the line between life and death was n...

Latin America might be the most diverse region on the planet - after all, it is home to over 660 million people from countless origins, including Spanish, Pre-Columbian, British, Portuguese, African, Indian, Japanese, and more - so it would be fair to say that racism doesn't really exist there... Right? Wrong! Unfortunately, even this incredibly multicultural region of so many skin colors and...

While many of them are cute and fluffy, we've come to learn that some animals out there are VERY dangerous. Latin America is one such place which - though not as "everything is out to get you" as Australia, is still home to venomous snakes, ravenous piranhas, skull-breaking jaguars, and more. In this region of great beauty and a fascinating variety of creatures, you're bound to...

¡Azúcar! - Whenever you hear this cry, you just know some amazingly good Salsa music is about to begin, as Celia Cruz's voice is moments away from hitting your headphones. And what a character she was, with her flashy hairstyles and extravagant clothing style, her wide smile and powerful voice. But what was her story, before all the fame? How did a young, female Cuban singer with no industry...

Hidden in the Andes mountain range for close to 400 years, Peru's Machu Picchu has long been an incredibly famous South American tourist destination. After all, it's wonderful location, beautiful views and the advanced technology with which it was created (how were those rocks even transported up there?!) make it unique not only in Latin America, but the world. But was it just a temple f...

Move aside, the Himalayas. The Andes might not have the highest peaks in the world, but it's actually the most extensive mountain range on our planet, encompassing 7,242 kilometers and stretching across SEVEN different nations. It's South America's pride. But what's so special about the Andes, and what type of terrain, flora, and fauna can you expect to find there? Oh, and why...

Eva 'Evita' Perón, a woman who caused so much amazement and admiration over the decades that even Madonna, the Queen of Pop, begged to play her in a film. A young woman who, despite growing into the wealth of Argentine politics, actually came from a poor background and knew what it meant to be hungry. The wife of controversial president, Juan Domingo Perón, Evita was a radically contrast...

Do you love soccer? Argentinians do, that's for sure. Their two top teams - Boca Juniors and River Plate - are actually among the fiercest rivals in world soccer, and have seen some of the most amazing encounters that Latin American football has to offer. In this fantastic DUAL episode, we find Lucas and Paula getting ready to enter this year's Superclásico - that is, the duel between th...

Sometimes, waiting for law enforcement to help is not enough, especially if the local police are involved in the crime you expect them to solve. Such was the belief of a brave mother named Miriam Rodriguez, who in January of 2014, realized that nobody was going to help her get her daughter back after she was kidnapped. This woman, one of the bravest we've ever heard of, decided to take justic...

How much do you know about what goes on in North Korea? Probably not much. Perhaps you think that a lot of what is said is just negative propaganda by anti-communists. But what if I told you that a Venezuelan communist was imprisoned there and got to see how horrible the prisoner treatment was up close? Now, you must be wondering... what was a Venezuelan poet doing working in North Korea? Today&ap...