Learn Spanish with Stories

Shakira, Lionel Messi, Elton John… What do these and other high-profile celebrities have in common? That they have all been in the news lately is one feature they share, of course, but the other is the fact that they’ve all recently been caught evading taxes. But what is tax evasion, and what does this have to do with the Cayman Islands?   The Cayman Islands is probably the world’s most famous tax...

Digital nomads - you may have heard of them. One of the coolest trends in the latest decade(s), we're talking about those freelancers, remote workers and entrepreneurs who travel the world while making money online, be it from long-term employment, freelance gigs, or their own businesses. An amazing thing about Latin America is the fact that it has its own fair share of digital nomads and DN...

Have you ever witnessed a volcano eruption? It is one of the most terrifying forces of nature – pillars of thick, black smoke usually accompanied by sudden flashes of lightning; followed by the flowing rivers of lava pouring down its flanks… Now, imagine you were caught just several kilometers away from one, with no hope of escape. This is precisely what happened to a town in Martinique in 1902. I...

Every year, thousands of people – from Latin America and beyond – are losing their lives in hopes of accomplishing a dream: the American Dream. But how? Known as the Darien Gap, this hostile jungle located between Colombia and Panama has borne witness to some of the most horrific stories ever told by migrants, not to mention that it is a place where people are often kidnapped and forced to become...

Who is the best football (soccer) player in the world? You know the answer to this question: it’s Lionel Messi. For some, he’s even considered the best player in history. But one thing’s for sure – he’s a phenomenal talent in the world of sports. A boy who turned the misfortune of a growth deficiency at a young age into a drive that would lead him to crown himself as the greatest player of his gen...

Despite the wars in the Middle East and Europe that have occurred in the past decades, Latin America has been a relatively conflict-free region in modern times… but what if you go back further? Centuries ago, Latin America was a perpetual war zone, with soldiers fighting endlessly for scraps of land on which to plant their flag. 19th Century Mexico was one such place, with the newly-independent Un...

The beautiful region of Latin America has a darker side that not everyone is aware of, but certainly one that must be talked about. We are talking about the human trafficking and modern slavery that continue to affect the region and ruin the lives of men, women and children who are typically just looking to cross a border in search of a new life.   As this situation is seemingly worsening with the...

On December 5, 1945, five General Motors TBM Avenger torpedo bombers disappeared from the face of the Earth during a training flight that took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All 14 airmen were lost, never to be heard of again. A rescue plane with 13 crew members was sent to find them. It, too, was lost to oblivion. And to think that… these aren’t even the only disappearances that have taken pl...

Maybe Jack Sparrow and Hector Barbossa aren’t real, but Blackbeard – or Edward Teach, as he was actually called – definitely did exist, and caused much pain and anguish to ships and their crew across the Caribbean. Likewise, Henry Morgan, Black Bart and Mary Read spread their tendrils across the sea, looting and pillaging when possible.   But if you want find out more about these legend ’YARRR- y...

We may fear it, run from it, pretend it doesn’t exist or dedicate our lives to fixing it, but climate change is an absolutely real problem that the entire world is now facing. Scientists have found that – if we don’t act to stop the worst of the consequences – we may lose up to two-thirds of animal and plant species within the next 50 years, and hundreds of thousands of people could die from pollu...

One of the most interesting thing about sports in Latin America is how varied they can be, with most of them having been imported from Europe. However, there is one particular sport that Latin Americans haven’t simply adopted but actually mastered , playing it at a level that surpasses those who influenced them to play it in the first place. We’re talking about baseball.   With countless athletes...

While it may be one of the most beautiful regions on the planet, it is no secret that most of Latin America is also one very dangerous place. With some of the deadliest cities on the planet and a questionable amount of corruption within governments and law enforcement entities, you wouldn’t be crazy to think twice before heading to the shady areas of the region.   But it can’t all be bad, and this...

Growing a startup to a billion dollars is already a huge challenge – for any founder on the planet, wherever they are. But we must admit that building a “unicorn” startup in Latin America is much harder than doing the same in London, Los Angeles or New York. Yet somehow, a number of founders have accomplished this goal, taking their companies to a valuation that surpasses a thousand million dollar...

Since primitive times, man has sought to learn more about the “beyond” – those gods or other supernatural beings that are said to be in other dimensions or worlds we cannot access until we die. In the case of Latin America, a great number of such gods have caused wonder among many civilizations. In modern times, one such interesting goddess exists, whom is related to death in such an intrinsic way...

By now, if you’ve listened to our podcast, you’ll be aware that Latin America has plenty of Spanish, African, Dutch, French, Italian and even British influence which has helped shape the region and make it what it is today… but did you know that Japan has also brought its important share of influence to Mexico and several South American countries, and that there are a ton of Japanese migrants who...

When it comes to dictators, Latin America has had quite its fair share of these, with both left and right-wing figures having subjugated and terrorized populations of several countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America throughout the decades. The Dominican Republic does not forget its own tyrant – Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, “Generalísimo” – who could basically do anything he wanted wit...

Peru is a land of wonderful food, fascinating historic sites and rich traditions… but not all of its history has been a bed of roses. You see, in 1970, a great but terrible event changed everything for this nation: starting as a soft swaying of the ground but soon transforming into the terrifying rumble and ripping of the earth which brought buildings crashing down into rubble and destructive land...

Unless you’ve switched off the news for the past decade, you will probably have heard of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. With tragedies ranging from food shortages in the mid 2010’s to millions of migrants desperately crossing borders all over North and South America, this once wealthy region has fallen to its knees… and all of it thanks to the Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro governme...

After a successful first season, the Learn Spanish with Stories Podcast returns with Season 2! And in this season's premiere, we want to take you somewhere that is almost as unknown as it is underrated. We’re talking about Uruguay, South America’s most underrated nation. Boasting one of the highest levels of human development, tolerance, peace, GDP growth and innovation, Uruguay is one of the...

We have reached the Season 1 Finale of our podcast – and this episode is a bit different. Although we have typically told the story from a third-person perspective (apart from Episode 2 – Últimas Horas), this episode is a first-person tale by your narrator, Anthony, in which he explains just how Latin America can take over your heart and mind. With its natural beauty, wonderful locations, lovely p...

While Latin America has produced some of the most fascinating people in history, we cannot pretend that it hasn’t spawned its own monsters, as well. Merciless murderers, monstrous hunters of children and even bloodthirsty cannibals(!) have left a mark of pain and death on the Latin American legacy. In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we cover the stories of Pedro Nakada, Dor...

On March 13, 2013, a massive event took place within the Catholic Church – the first ever South American Pope, and the first from outside of Europe since the 8th century, was elected to succeed Pope Benedict XVI, who had resigned earlier. This came as a shock to many – as respectable as he was, Pope Francis, who is actually called Jorge Mario Bergoglio – was something of a humble and less rigid fi...

Haiti – when you hear the name of this nation, what comes to mind? Usually, you can recall the hurricanes, earthquakes and other horrific tragedies that have hit the island and its people, plunging them further into a state of despair and disaster that they have suffered for decades now. But Haiti is much more than disaster, pain and suffering. It is a nation with a rich history full of bravery an...

The deserts across the planet are some of the most majestic and impressive destinations you will ever witness; Latin America is no exception. But there is one specific Latin American desert that has managed to blow the minds of even the highest level of scientists on the globe: The Atacama Desert. Known for being the most arid (driest) desert outside of Antarctica, Atacama has still managed to sus...

When thinking of South America, people across the world typically recall Brazil and its beaches, Argentina’s football and history, or perhaps the beautiful northern coasts of Colombia and Venezuela… but you can bet that hardly anybody remembers that the Guianas even exist! But our goal is to change that: you see, Guyana, Suriname and the French Guiana are extremely singular, lush locations that ar...