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 is what we want to cover in this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast. The good, the bad...
Nov 22, 2022•26 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast 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 dollars. But which companies are these and how did they accomplish this magnificent goal? In this episode ...
Nov 15, 2022•24 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast 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 that she is known as “La Santa Muerte” or “The Holy Death”, and both worshiped and prayed to by mas...
Nov 08, 2022•24 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast 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 have even forgotten their native language? Yes, believe it or not, over the decades, Japan has seen ...
Nov 01, 2022•25 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast 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 without consequence. That is, until a brave family of fearless women decided to stand up against him an...
Oct 25, 2022•25 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast 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 landslides tearing through villages and cities… The Ancash Earthquake, a 7.9 seismic event on the moment...
Oct 18, 2022•25 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast 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 governments. But who exactly is Nicolas Maduro, and how did Chavez manage to accelerate the beginning of the...
Oct 11, 2022•28 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast 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 most developed nations in Latin America and a growing economy with plenty to do and to see if you’r...
Oct 04, 2022•29 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast 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 people and fantastic variety of cultures, Latin America is a place to love. And just as importantly, ...
Jun 07, 2022•29 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast 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, Dorangel Vargas and Julio Pérez Silva, among others, as we speak of the men, women and even teenagers w...
May 31, 2022•27 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast 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 figure, even considered a progressive by many. He had worked as a bouncer at a club in his youth, gott...
May 24, 2022•26 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast 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 and valor, in which the populace had to fight for its rights and throw off the yoke of French tyranny,...
May 17, 2022•24 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast 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 sustain life, and is the place where you are most likely to have the best visibility of distant stars a...
May 10, 2022•24 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast 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 are just as emblematic to the region as any other country. When you look at their history, their capit...
May 03, 2022•25 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast You may have heard of “The 33”, a group of miners who were unexpectedly trapped in a mine back in 2010… but do you know the full story? It all started with one big uproar – a loud boom of noise and collapse of earth that would set a series of events in motion that would shift all eyes from across the world to a small mine in the north of Chile. A terrible tragedy, a magnificent show of humanity of an entire world united and even the appearance of the United States National Aeronautics and Space ...
Apr 26, 2022•24 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast In the history of world football, we have seen many great legends – men and women who have not only help build the sport, but also bring to it a mythical quality from which the greatest stories have been told. One such figure was Diego Armando Maradona. Born in Argentina to a poor family that lived in a shantytown, this skillful young man would grow up to become one of the best football players ever (some would argue -the best-). But there are controversies that helped make El Diego who he was –...
Apr 19, 2022•26 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast When traveling across Latin America, especially at night, you may find that some towns and small populations will recommend you to stay indoors after the sun comes out, but why? Sure, some countries aren’t as safe as others, but it’s not always -human- threats that they’re worried about… You see, in Latin America, there is said to be a number of dark, supernatural threats that await unwary travelers, sometimes monsters with horrific forms, while other times they are what we could have once known...
Apr 12, 2022•25 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast For all of its beauty and the “magical realism” that make Latin America such a wonderful place on Earth, even the most passionate of the region’s admirers must accept that the economy can sometimes be a bit… messy. Terrible politics, weak currencies and a general chaotic economic reality make Latin America a roller coaster when it comes to saving and/or investing. But a potential solution is growing in popularity and utility across the region, as more and more Latin Americans, including entire g...
Apr 05, 2022•27 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Latin America has one of the most heterogeneous populations in the world – in other words, you can find countless ethnic groups, backgrounds and cultures that make it a true gem of humanity. One of the most precious groups that can be found in the region is that of the Garifuna (or Garinagu). Descendants of West African and indigenous Central American natives, this group represents not only a mix of cultures but a beautiful fusion of continents separated by an ocean. But the Garifuna have – in r...
Mar 29, 2022•23 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast One of the things that we seem to know a lot about but strangely, at the same time, not much at all is the Spanish colonization of South America and the Caribbean. Some sources have led us to believe that huge armies of conquistadors traveled from nation to nation, killing, plundering and burning down everything they came across on their conquest… but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Mostly explorers (or at least at the beginning they were), the Spanish conquerors of Latin America were a...
Mar 22, 2022•30 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Despite the extensive mountain ranges across the Alaska, Canada and mainland United States, it is in South America where you can find the tallest peak – Mount Aconcagua. An incredible geological formation, this massive stone giant stands at a height of just over 6,960 meters, representing not only the tallest peak in the Americas but also in the Western and Southern Hemispheres. But our latest episode of Learn Spanish with Stories is more than just about how tall a mountain is – did you know tha...
Mar 15, 2022•23 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Throughout Latin America’s turbulent history, the region has been witness to terrible and unforgettable events, often orchestrated by heartless men and women who care more about their political gain than the lives of their people. One such event – and among the worst – was the right-wing, government-sponsored massacre which occurred in the Southern Cone of the South America, and in which even the CIA and U.S. Government were involved. Resulting in the kidnapping, torture, murder and disappearanc...
Mar 08, 2022•25 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast About 1,000 kilometers away from the coasts of Ecuador lies an archipelago where Mother Nature’s deepest secrets were uncovered – the origin of all species. Discovered and ignored by many different explorers across the centuries, it was not until a young British scientist named Charles Darwin came across it that the value of the Galapagos Islands was finally discovered. In this episode of Learn Spanish with Stories, we travel to the islands where biology, science and the world were changed forev...
Mar 01, 2022•25 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast Of all the works of engineering around the world, one of the most incredible and unique is the Panama Canal: bridging the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, this fascinating structure is much like an engineering masterpiece of the last century, with bright minds and big pockets making it happen in a country which, today, is immensely proud of this landmark. With around 14,000 ships going through annually, the Panama Canal connects 1,900 ports via 180 shipping routes – it is a true treasure f...
Feb 22, 2022•26 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Around five-hundred years ago, when America was still considered “The New World”, there were countless treasure hunters and adventurers who made their way to these exotic lands, chasing not only the hopes of acquiring power, but of obtaining the famed riches that so many of its discoverers had talked about. Soon, the biggest rumor of them all began to spread – the existence of a place named “El Dorado”, where a lake full to the brim with gold awaited any brave enough to venture into the jungle. ...
Feb 15, 2022•26 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast Many people are aware of the legendary Che Guevara, having seen him in old photos and on the front of many T-shirts. But how much do is really known about him? Few know what he studied at university or what his philosophies were (beyond Marxism), and how his philosophy actually began as that of a pampered rich young man. Furthermore, few know that he was actually one of South America’s biggest explorers, having traveled its four corners in his youth. In this episode, we dive into the life and st...
Feb 08, 2022•24 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast The Mexico-United States border – a place of great hope for some and yet also a location of extreme terror for others. For those wishing to live “The American Dream”, this border can soon turn into their worst nightmare. From the cartels picking off anybody who hasn’t paid the price of passage to the heat that can dehydrate and cause harm to any type of traveler crossing these dry lands, the border between these two nations has equally spawned countless stories of bravery and despair that will l...
Feb 01, 2022•26 min•Ep 18•Transcript available on Metacast Across the world, we may witness fascinating places that are unlike any other location on the globe – such extreme and fascinating places that tourists are dragged there by their reputation alone. The Salar de Uyuni is one such place. Found in Bolivia, this MASSIVE salt flat has not just been a filming location for Star Wars and countless amateur YouTube travel videos, but also represents the world’s single largest lithium reserve. A place you will love to learn about, this great expanse of salt...
Jan 25, 2022•25 min•Ep 17•Transcript available on Metacast The Angel Falls. Yes, the tallest waterfall in the world – you probably have heard this quite a few times… but do you know the myths and legends behind this wonderful location? Found in Venezuela’s southeastern region of La Gran Sabana (a magical creation of nature in itself), this waterfall has a rich history that has captivated travelers and scientists for at least the last century, and which requires an interesting but very challenging journey to reach. In this episode, we dive from the summi...
Jan 18, 2022•25 min•Ep 16•Transcript available on Metacast When we talk about World War II and how it ended for the Nazis, it’s almost always about their defeat and how they ended up paying (in one way or another) for their crimes. However, you may not be aware that a small but privileged group of their officers were actually offered a new avenue and a hope for a fresh life – one without justice catching them. These lucky (and powerful) figures relocated to South America, joining right-wing tyrants such as Juan Domingo Perón in Argentina as they hid the...
Jan 11, 2022•27 min•Ep 15•Transcript available on Metacast 
