Spanish On the Go! - Improve your listening comprehension skills with our authentic podcasts

The mahogany (caoba) wood is highly-valued for its deep, reddish-brown color, its durability and its workability. During the 18th and 19th centuries, owning furniture and other pieces made from this coveted wood was a symbol of wealth and status. At the time, the main source of mahogany was in Honduras and its trade was a symbol of colonization and exploitation. The location, extraction and transp...

The Cathedral in Seville is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and a perfect example of Spain's rich and diverse historic and cultural background. Built on the remains of a Muslim mosque, the construction of the Catholic Cathedral lasted over a century. The present building displays different architectural styles, impressive art works and magnificent workmanship that embody Spain's complex...

Over 500 species of insects form an integral part of Mexican cuisine. Among those species, we have los escamoles, also known as Mexican caviar. The escamoles are the eggs and larvae of the güijera ants and they've been considered a delicacy since Aztec times. Highly coveted for their unique and delicate flavor, escamoles can be used in different dishes and preparations, but they're quite difficult...

La santería is a perfect example of the religious and cultural syncretism prevalent throughout Latin American communities. This practice originated in Cuba in the 19th century as a way for African slaves to protect their religious beliefs while being forced to learn and practice Catholicism under Spanish rule. These slaves found a way to link their orishas -Yoruba gods- to Catholic saints that sha...

For hundreds of years popular wisdom proclaimed the benefits of taking una siesta (nap) during the middle of the day. Now, modern science confirms it. A short siesta after lunch helps with our digestion, stabilizes our blood pressure and stress levels, improves our mood and cognitive functions, boosts our energy and more. Click play to learn more about this world-wide, ancient tradition that dates...

When the first Spaniards arrived to the New World, they were faced with the unforeseen challenge of dealing with the native peoples who have lived there for thousands of years. This sparked many debates concerning their rights, land ownership, treatment and even their humanity. These discussions led to the enactment of las Leyes de Burgos , a set of laws governing the behavior of the Spaniard sett...

Mexico City is the second city in the world with the most amount of museums with a total of 170 museums and 43 specialized galleries. In the Mexican capital you can find the more traditional fine arts and archeology museums as well as specific and curious museums dedicated to traditional drinks like pulque and tequila, perfumes, prints, shoes, old toys, chocolate and more! Click play to learn more...

The Spanish language is the fascinating and always-changing result of hundreds of years of peoples, cultures and languages coming together. Sanskrit , the ancient classic language of India, is one such influence. From Sanskrit the Spanish language has indirectly adopted words like 'naranja', 'ajedrez' or 'azúcar' and directly embraced words like 'avatar', 'nirvana' or 'mantra'. Click play to hear...

Arsenio Rodriguez was a Cuban musician, composer and bandleader who revolutionized the Afro-Cuban music scene. Blind from a young age, Arsenio grew up understanding the world through its sounds and rhythms. Arsenio was proficient in several instruments and he merged and developed musical styles with ease, laying the foundations for salsa and other Latin music genres. Click play to hear how Arsenio...

Have you ever wondered what are those little balls at the bottom of your bubble tea? Those are tapioca pearls. Tapioca is the starch extracted of the yuca (cassava) root. Yuca and tapioca had been staples in the diets of the Amazon indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. The Portuguese colonizers took this nutritious plant to their territories in Africa and Asia. Now, both the cassava plant and...

  Yma Súmac was a remarkably talented vocalist and actress from Peru. With no formal training but unwavering discipline and prodigious musical skills, she became a sensation in the United States in the 50's. Yma's amazing vocal range was capable of reaching the highest highs and the lowest lows. She got her start in the 1940s performing Peruvian folk music, but her talents soon took her around the...

In a multicultural nation like the United States, finding interpreters for Spanish-speaking immigrants is quite easy. However, not everyone who comes from Latin America speaks Spanish; many immigrants only speak indigenous languages, some of which are quite rare. To meet the challenge of finding and training people to assist with these lesser-known language varieties, Latin American communities in...

Camilo Torres Restrepo was a Colombian priest, political leader, professor and guerrillero . These roles might seem at odds with each other, but Camilo was at heart a man who witnessed first-hand the hardships and inequalities experienced by the lower classes in Colombia and was determined to make a change for good. While his ideology combining social Catholicism and Marxism ruffled many feathers...

La Habana café is not just another coffee shop in Mexico City. Its an epicenter of culture where poets, writers, journalists and revolutionaries from all over the world have stopped by for un cafecito y huevos rancheros on their way to make history. In fact, on this very café Gabriel García Márquez worked on One Hundred Years of Solitude and Fidel Castro and Che Guevara planned the Cuban Revolutio...

Better known as Juan Latino , Juan de Sesa was a man ahead of his time. He was raised in slavery as the page to the heir of a noble Spanish family but he grew to be a free man, poet, writer and highly-respected Latin professor in the University of Granada. As an Afro-European man he broke countless of barriers, such as being the only recognized Black writer of the Spanish Renaissance, the first Bl...

El jamón ibérico is more than a delicious Spanish delicatessen; it's a fundamental part of Spain's history and cultural identity. This Iberian ham is a type of dry-cured pork leg that stands out from other hams for the quality of its ingredients and careful, ancient preparation process. Made only from an indigenous breed of Iberian free-range pig, this exquisite ham has numerous health benefits as...

Rafael Cordero ( 'El Cordero negro' ) was a free Afro-Puerto Rican man with a passion for teaching in a time and place where education was only available for those who were rich, white and male. Rafael and his sisters were raised in a home that highly-valued education and knowledge and they gave those values back to their community. Rafael opened a modest school for kids of all races, social class...

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish explorer who lived countless adventures in the New World. One of four survivors of the 1527 Narváez expedition, for 10 years he crossed -afoot- from Florida to New Mexico with nothing but the few clothes on his back, a small group of companions and a few goods he traded with indigenous tribes for food and protection. During these years, Cabeza de Vaca gaine...

Juan José Nieto Gil was a Colombian writer, politician, and Army general. Most significantly he was also the country's first (and only) Afro-Colombian president for six months in 1861. Intelligent, determined, fearless, Nieto Gil took over the presidency in a time of great social and political unrest in Colombia, which he managed to stabilize despite not being accepted by the country's classist an...

Larry Harlow was a salsa pianist, composer, performer and producer from a family of Jewish immigrants in Brooklyn. Born and raised in a family full of diverse musical and cultural influences, Larry fell in love with the Latin rhythms of Spanish Harlem and made the bold choice of travelling to Cuba to experience the Cuban culture firsthand. Larry learned Spanish and became a santero. In addition to...

Literary cafés were spaces that sprung all over Europe during the 19th and 20th century where intellectuals, poets and artists gathered to discuss ideas. Madrid's cafés were the epicenter of Hispanic culture and the brightest writers, artists, scientists and thinkers of their time never missed the opportunity to enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and a lively debate. Click play to hear about the rise...

Happy and prosper 2026! We want to share with you the resolutions and well-wishes of amigos from all over the Spanish-speaking world.  

During the Spanish Civil War, three fearless photographers risked their lives to immortalize the raw and devastating realities of both the battlefields and daily life in Spain. Together, Robert Capa, Gerda Taro, and David Seymour (all pseudonyms) captured over 4000 film negatives that were kept locked for 70 years inside a suitcase that survived wars, dictatorships, and a voyage across the ocean u...

Mole is more than just a sauce; it's a rich, elaborate and harmonious combination of ingredients and flavors that represents the complexity of Mexican culture. The origins of this delicious sauce date back to pre-Hispanic times where it was only served in religious ceremonies. It evolved into the exquisite dish we know today, thanks to the fusion of traditional Mexican flavors and the new European...

25 years ago, a curious and enthusiastic Latina child named Dora made her TV debut in a highly-interactive and educational cartoon show for pre-schoolers. "Dora, la exploradora" completely broke the mold for kids' show: she was Latina, curious, she went on adventures, y hablaba español! Through this innovative show, kids all over the world have improved their motor, interpersonal, and linguistic s...