Simple Stories in Spanish

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. La Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia is the second most popular fiesta en Argentina. Vendimia means “grape harvest” and the province of Mendoza has a lot of grapes. This 10-day festival includes parades and presentations that represent the rich culture and heritage of wine making in Mendoza. This story is told in the both th...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. Inti Raymi was the most important celebration of the Incas. People came from every corner of the Incan empire to pledge their allegiance to the Sapa Inca and to honor Inti, the god of the sun. The Spanish occupation put an end to Inti Raymi, but 400 years later it was reborn. Inti Raymi today is a celebration of Incan his...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. Carnaval is a popular celebration throughout Latin America. Each country has its own special way to showcase their local culture during this multi-day party of food, music, and dancing. Carnaval originated as a three day party before Lent, but has since evolved into vibrant celebrations of culture. In the Dominican Republ...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. Medellín, Colombia is already a vibrant city, but somehow it becomes even more vibrant and lively during “La Feria de las Flores”. The entire city is decorated by carnations, lilies, orchids, roses and more as the Department of Antioquia, of which Medellín is the capital, celebrates one of its largest exports with flower...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. Latacunga, Ecuador is the home of a celebration in honor of la Virgen de las Mercedes (The Virgen Mary has many names and many faces in Hispanic cultures, in this instance, she is the Virgen of Merced , or “Mercy”). They celebrate with a large parade. At the center of this celebration is Mama Negra, a representative of Af...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebrations. One of my favorite fiestas occurs in March in the city of Valencia, España. San José (St. Joseph) is the patron saint of Valencia and in his honor, they build impressive life-like sculptures. They also decorate a tall statue of the Virgen María with sweet-smelling carnations and light up the sky with “fuegos artificiales”...

This fourth season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on celebration. It is said that every day there is a celebration somewhere. This is especially true in the Spanish-speaking world. With patron saint festivities in every city, celebrations of independence and various sacred native ceremonies, there are many opportunities to witness festivals of culture.  This story includes mostly the pre...

Mate is a popular drink in South America and is becoming ever more prevalent around the world. Known for its high caffeine content and, some claim, health properties, it is possible to find cans of Yerba Mate in health shops and even on grocery store shelves. The original mate, however, is drunk from a hollowed out gourd through a metal “bombilla” straw. The plant itself was a gift from the gods....

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. There are many legends of monstrous women that roam the streets looking for victims. We have already heard the stories of la Llorona, la Patasola and la Tunda. Today’s legend of la Siguanaba has many similarities. Like the three other women, she did not begin as a monster, but became one because of her own bad choices. Now, she...

Today’s legend comes from Perú. Huatyacuri lived a lonely life in the Andes mountains. While his father, Pariacaca, the god of wind and storms, loved him, he could not physically hug him, as he only existed in the wind, rain and snow. Huatyacuri longed for ams to hold him. Then he met the beautiful Chaupiñaca and called upon his father to help him overcome the trials presented by her brother Kamac...

Today’s legend comes from the African communities on the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. According to legend, the diablo, or devil, seduced a beautiful African princess who arrived on a slave ship. Not knowing he was the devil, she loved him and had many children. One of those children is La Tunda - a very smelly woman who can change her appearance and put people in a trance by feeding them...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Few Hispanic legends have spread as far as the rather recently discovered “chupacabras. Formed from the words “chupa”, meaning “sucks” and “cabras”, meaning goats, this legendary creature sucks the blood of animals and leaves their corpses behind. I hope you enjoy today’s overview of the legend of “el chupacabras”. This legend...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Listener discretion is advised for this episode. El Coco, el Cuco y el Cucuy are the Spanish equivalent of the Bogeyman. Parents tell stories of this creature to scare their children into behaving. But el coco is not just a myth. This character is based in a very real, very disturbing event from Spain in the early 1900s. I hope...

A woman roams the mountains of la República Dominicana. She is not like other women. She is a protector of nature. Many have tried to trap her, but she is difficult to find because her feet are backwards and lead you in the wrong direction. This woman is a “Ciguapa”. She hypnotizes men with her dark eyes and beauty and leads them to their death. This legend is told in the present tense. Repeated w...

Today’s legend comes from the country of Guatemala, although it is a popular story in many countries. According to the legend, a “carruaje” or carriage appears in the night driven by death (“la muerte”) himself, or herself, to carry souls to the afterlife. This legend is told mostly in the present tense. Repeated words include “tiene miedo” (is scared), “ruido” (noise), “sonido” (sound), “espantos...

Today’s legend comes from the Guaraní culture in the countryside of Paraguay. The Guaraní tell of a short, hairy man who comes out at night to cause a variety of problems. He is “El Pombero”. While the Pombero is not necessarily considered “peligroso”, or dangerous, he is “travieso”, or mischievous. You can get on the Pombero’s good side by leaving him “regalos” or gifts. But you can also get on h...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. In Central America, large dogs roam the mountains. They are los Cadejos. Legend says God created white dogs to protect humans. Not to be outdone, the devil created black dogs to terrorize humans. In either case, cadejos appear when they are most needed, to either do good or harm depending on the person. This legend is told in b...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Today’s legend comes from Colombia. La Patasola is a deformed ghost creature. As her name indicates, she only (sola) has one leg (pata or pierna). What caused her demise? Why does she hop around on her leg tormenting others? The answers to those questions and more appear in this retelling of “La leyenda de la Patasola”. The leg...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Alfonso XIII became king at birth. When he was about to lose his first tooth, the author Luis Coloma wrote him a story about a mouse (ratón) named Pérez. That mouse visits children all over the Spanish-speaking world when a child loses a tooth. The legend is mostly told in the past tense, with some present tense in the dialogue...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. In the year 1531 the Virgen Mary appeared to humble Mexican peasant by the name of Juan Diego. She had a message for the bishop. Initially, he didn’t believe Juan Diego. He thought we has telling “mentiras” (lies), not “la verdad” (the truth). He asked for a “señal” (sign). Later, Juan Diego returned, and the Virgen’s image mir...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. Incan mythology tells of a mother of all living. She is la Pachamama, or Mother Earth. She controls fertility and the land and gives freely to those who give back to her and causes problems for those who take too much. This legend repeats vocabulary such as “mundo” (world), “tierra” (land/earth), “alimentar” (to feed), “dar” (t...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. A tall young man strolls the plains in the Llanos region of Venezuela. He is the Silbón, or Whistler. You know he is near when his whistle (silbato) is faint, but you are safe when he whistles loudly. The origin of el Silbón is not for the faint of heart and explains why he also carries a sack of bones. Todays simple story embe...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. In the middle of the Guatemalan flag there is a beautiful green bird with a bright red chest and a long flowing tail. It is the quetzal, a symbol of liberty and a nahual , or spirit guide, of the Maya and Quiché people. Todays simple story explains one of the many legends surrounding this stunning bird. This legend repeats voca...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. In the mountains of Nicaragua, a young woman roams the mountains inviting young men to come see her treasure. Those who follow la Mocuana visit a cave full of gold before disappearing forever. Is la Mocuana evil, or just the victim of a broken heart? This legend repeats vocabulary such as “tesoro” (treasure), “oro” (gold), “se...

This third season of Simple Stories in Spanish is focusing on legends. In southern Chile there is an island named Chiloé. The people of Chiloé are fishermen. Thus many of their legends focus on the sea. The most famous legend from Chiloé is about a ghost ship: the Caleuche. This ship is different from other stories of ghost ships because it is driven by a lovely mermaid who throws a party for her...