Learn Spanish with Stories

Do you love chocolate as much as we do (and if you don't, WHY)? Well, in that case, you might be curious as to how we ended up having this delicious sweet all across the world, on every continent. And yes, that includes Antarctica.Born in the heart of Mesoamerica and originally consumed by the Olmecs, Mayas and Aztecs, cacao (the precursor of chocolate) was discovered by Spanish conquistadors, who decided to take this curious fruit back home with them, which soon led to an explosion of delici...

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 effects on people and nature.Oh, and you'll also learn more about how and why this phenomenon occurs, a...

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 mind when discussing satellites and spaceflight.That changes today. In this episode, we will tell you all about how go...

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 this special DUAL NARRATOR season finale, we meet Ana and Oliver, who join forces to discover the beauty, magic, and power that Mexico has in eve...

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 consumed by European athletes, Hollywood artists, and even... U.S. presidents?!The story behind mate ...

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 reserve, where both humans and animals coexist, as well as a lake that certain endangered species call their home. A...

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, they integrated themselves into the indigenous beliefs and allowed the natives to express themselves, ...

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 particular, brought massive transformation to the country, although with great controversy attached to ...

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 the genes, if we dug deeper (hmmm...)But that's still too vague, right? How exactly is this culture of enjoyment ex...

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 end there.However, the recent discovery of oil deposits containing up to 700 million barrels of oil (wo...

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 sign that the people of Argentina are tired of the old, stagnant systems of Peronism and Kirchnerism, that k...

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 so remote and separated from civilization that they have managed to maintain their ancient traditions ...

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 independence efforts going in Venezuela and South America in general.Born into a Spanish family, Miranda actually...

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 create a new global initiative that will bring Latin America forward several decades and get the wheels ...

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 originated very far away from the American continent and that these inhabitants are relatively recent compared to those in Africa, E...