Culture in Spanish

Synced transcripts and full materials available at 

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/guerra-civil-propaganda-y-arte

Triggered by economic collapse and political polarization, the Spanish Civil War pitted Franco's nationalists against the republican government in a global ideological conflict between fascism and democracy. This episode examines its cultural dimensions: the propaganda deployed by both sides, Dalí's ambiguous response to a fratricidal conflict, and Picasso's Guernica, painted in the weeks after the bombing of a Basque market town.

Synced transcripts and full materials available at 

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/el-estoicismo-de-seneca

Seneca spent years at the center of Roman power as tutor and advisor to Emperor Nero, while developing a philosophy built on virtue, self-control, and the acceptance of what lies beyond our control. This episode traces the origins of Stoicism, Seneca's practical writings on anger, time, and the good life, and the circumstances of his death, ordered by the emperor he had served.

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cultureinspanish.org/episodes/las-cruzadas

In 1095, Pope Urban II called on Christians across Europe to take up arms and march to Jerusalem. This episode traces the origins of the Crusades, the motivations of those who joined, the brief Christian kingdom established in Jerusalem, and the long consequences of two centuries of holy war.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/los-viajes-de-colon

Christopher Columbus spent years petitioning European courts before the Spanish crown finally agreed to fund his voyage west. His calculations were wrong, his crew nearly mutinied, and when he finally landed, he was convinced he had reached Asia. This episode follows his voyages, the violence of the second expedition, and the long debate his arrival triggered about the rights of the peoples he encountered.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/el-fin-del-mundo

From biblical prophecy to ecological collapse, humanity has always been obsessed with its own end. This episode traces the many visions of apocalypse, from Armageddon and the Last Judgment to the environmental crisis of the Anthropocene, alongside Walter Benjamin's Angel of History, the myth of Sisyphus, and Nietzsche's eternal return. We reflect on the idea of progress and the search for meaning in absurdity, catastrophe, and the endless repetition of everyday life.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/sartre-y-la-libertad

Jean-Paul Sartre believed human freedom is absolute, and that this is not a comfort but a burden. This episode explores his radical philosophy: why we are condemned to choose, how the gaze of others shapes and constrains our identity, the role of love, and what it means to live with the full weight of responsibility for every action (and inaction).

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/budismo

In this episode we travel to 6th century BC India to explore the foundations of Buddhism. Through the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, we examine a spiritual tradition focused not on the figure of a god, but on a practical question: how can we free ourselves from suffering? From karma and impermanence to the illusion of the self, and the challenges that a philosophy centred on the dissolution of desire and ego presents to the Western mind.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/hannah-arendt-y-la-obediencia

Hannah Arendt dedicated her life to understanding how ordinary people participate in extraordinary evil. This episode follows her thinking, from her analysis of the human condition to her concept of the “banality of evil”, developed during the trial of Adolf Eichmann, and her questioning of obedience.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/sagrada-familia

In this episode we explore Barcelona through the work of Antoni Gaudí, the architect who fused religious devotion with nature's forms to transform the city. From his early years to his most iconic works (Casa Batlló, Park Güell), we trace his obsessive life's project: the Sagrada Familia. A basilica conceived to redeem the sins of a city, whose plans were destroyed during the Civil War, and whose creator may yet be declared a saint.

Get the synced transcript, interactive exercises, and full learning materials for this episode at

cultureinspanish.org/episodes/la-poesia-de-neruda

In this episode, we explore the life and work of Pablo Neruda, one of Latin America’s most influential writers. We trace his journey from his childhood in Chile to poetic fame, covering his solidarity with the Spanish Republic, his friendship with Salvador Allende, and his years in exile. We also examine the controversies surrounding his personal life and the 2023 forensic study that fueled suspicions of the Pinochet dictatorship’s involvement in his death.