The United States and Latin America are connected in a massive amount of ways, and it's not just a matter of geography: generations have grown up listening to American music, watching American TV and Hollywood productions, and receiving a heavy inflow of cultural influences in every aspect.

But it hasn't just been culture - it's been technology, politics, worldviews, and so much more. The truth is that United States and Latin America are not just two separate entities but an ecosystem that, previously, was heavily skewed towards the US providing most of the influence, but which seems to be gradually reversing...

Find out more about the U.S. influences Latin America and how this trend might be changing as we speak in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4868

Hybrid languages - have you ever heard of them? Spanish has at least two main hybrid languages: Spanglish (which you've probably come in contact with at some point) and Portuñol, which features heavily in the border areas between Brazil and other South American nations. But I'm sure you've never heard of Llanito, and other variations of the Spanish language.

In this fun episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we go back to our roots, which is language learning, and explore Spanglish (the mix of Spanish and English), Portuñol (Portuguese and Spanish) and Llanito (an entertaining mix of Andalusian Spanish and British English), so that you can understand how they came to exist, WHY they came to exist, and where they're evolving towards.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4835

One of the scariest and most controversial places on the planet is located in Cuba, in a city of the same name: Guantánamo Bay detention camp. Established by President George W. Bush in 2002, following the Islamist attacks of September 11, it was created to house terrorism suspects and "illegal enemy combatants".

However, the reality is that this prison has held many an innocent, those simply falsely accused of belonging to a terrorist organization by others who decided to 'sell' them in exchange for a bounty paid by the United States. Not to mention the amount of torture and mistreatment that prisoners have received while captive...

In this special DUAL NARRATOR episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we cover a realistic interview between an international reporter and a captive of Guantánamo, as he tells his tale, not only so that the entire world may know what occurs within its walls, but also so that they may never forget.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4802

Latin America is a melting pot of cultures, as you'll already know - Spanish culture mixing with Amerindian tradition, and with African rituals combining with Aztec, Mayan, British and... Dutch(?) influences, somehow - so you already know that there's going to be very bold and unique ways of perceiving life, death, religion and belief systems in general.

So, it comes as no surprise that the occult features so heavily in Latin American culture, especially in the daily lives of certain sectors of society. Part of this is as mysterious and scary as voodoo, while other traditions, such as Pachamama and Sunday Mass, are considered more harmless.

In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we explore just exactly what it means to believe in Latin America, and how each individual approaches their connection with the beyond... enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4769

They say that crisis and pain create great men and women, but life really went a bit too far with Juana Azurduy - first, she lost her parents, and then she would go on to lose her children... but it's what happened in the middle of these things that would mark her remarkable story as a heroine in the fight for Bolivia's independence.

A curious girl during her infancy, she developed a courageous and free-spirited personality that would lead her to great things and make her challenge the preconceptions of life under Spanish rules, pushing her to join the guerrillas in fighting for their country's independence and freedom from colonization.

But tragedy, as I already mentioned, would strike again and again, and as strong as Juana was, her life would end in a somewhat unfortunate way, with even Simón Bolívar making an appearance towards the very end. Find out more about Juana Azurduy in our latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4736

As a soldier in Latin America, what happens when you retire? One could think that each state would have a great retirement plan for each soldier who has risked their life for their nation: a decent home, a dignified compensation, health benefits... but this couldn't be further from reality.

The reality is that soldiers are practically discarded - thrown aside, left to fend for themselves in a job market that has no interest in hiring men and women who were trained for violence... and this is where the Cartel steps in.

In this story, the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we listen to the story behind Julián Ramírez, a soldier who, after dedicating his life to protecting Colombia from the guerrilla and illegal armed forces, is simply cast aside, shortly before he is tricked into becoming a member of the Cartel in Mexico... and all of the tension, dilemmas and internal chaos that this will soon cause him.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4703

Despite the traditionally sketchy leaders we've had in Latin America in the past century, one of the most memorable and internationally loved Latin American presidents in recent times has been José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica.

Even though he was quite unconventional in his origins, the way he spoke, and especially the fact that he was jailed for his participation as a guerrilla fighter (among the ranks of the Tupamaros), Pepe Mujica managed to convince even some of the most conservative citizens to vote for him and support his leadership, and even after his death, he is still remembered and appreciated.

But who was he, really? Why did he forsake riches and luxuries? And what did his life look like behind the scenes? Find out in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, all while learning Spanish!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4671

Spanish is just like English - everyone speaks it in the same way. I'm kidding: we know that English has tons of dialects, and Spanish is just the same in this aspect. Even more complicated is the fact that Spanish is an official language in 21 countries and is spoken widely across 6 continents (with Oceania, not Antarctica being the one where it isn't).

So, what I'm getting at here is that there's bound to be confusion at some point when a Spaniard speaks with a Chilean, or a Mexican travels to Bolivia. And this last point is exactly what happens in our episode, when 40-year-old Esteban travels from Mexico City to a number of other countries and cities, and starts meeting new people.

Join him as he navigates geographically, but also culturally across Latin America, learning new words and experiencing wonderful new moments that help him explore the Spanish language - all while you also learn cool and unique new vocabulary in this new episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4637