The lithium in your phone's battery, maybe the device you're using to read this - it may probably have come from Chile, and the copper in the wires of your charger may have come from Peru... Latin America is and has always been one of the main provider of precious metals in the world.


And this didn't begin with the Spanish and Portuguese colonization, either... the natives had been mining long before the arrivals of Europeans, and knew how to keep these operations sustainable (something we struggle with today). However, when these outsiders arrived, production took the main stage, and millions of tons were extracted and taken from the Americas to Europe.

But returning to the present: how does Latin America help keep the world running with its resources, and what is the story behind this? Let's dive in, in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/3020

The gods of ancient Latin American belief were very interesting and different from what we have to come to know in Asia, Europe, and North America... they were somewhat more human, said to walk among us when they felt like it, and collaborated closely with animals and nature to make things occur.


Quetzalcóatl, the Feathered Serpent, is one such example, perhaps the greatest of them all... disguised as a noble but aging traveler, he walked among men and taught them the marvels of science and engineering, until he was targeted by Tezcatlipoca, the god of conflict. Today, we tell their stories.

And the coolest thing about this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast? It's not just about what was going on in Mesoamerica, but also what was happening in the Inca Empire, when Inti (the Sun) and Mama Quilla (the Moon), made their appearance and began to influence life itself. Check it out and enjoy!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2888

Retiring in Latin America as a foreigner = 👍​

Retiring in Latin America as a Latin American = ​☠️​


Let's face it - when you think of the Caribbean, Brazilian beaches, the Angel Falls in Venezuela, Mexican resorts and Argentine plains, there's a feeling of relief and joy that you can spend your final years just exploring the land and living for cheap.

But what does it look like for a native, and how they survive while receiving a pension that is probably 30% (on average) of what they used to earn while working? 

In this episode, we find out more first-hand from Juan, a new retiree who, after doing his initial paperwork, has just found out the sad reality of being a native retiree in Latin America. Enjoy this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2756

There is a Filipino hero who, despite raising his voice and an entire nation against the Spanish colonizers, is so respected globally that he has his own monument in the center of Madrid, Spain's capital.


His name is José Rizal - but what's the story behind this incredible figure, who, unlike Simón Bolívar or José de Martín (among others), never raised his arms against the Spanish and instead led with beautiful words, such as: 

"Justice is the foremost virtue of the civilizing races. It subdues the barbarous nations, while injustice arouses the weakest".

And what spark did Rizal light that eventually led him to his untimely and premature end at the hands of a Spanish firing squad? Find out in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2723

If you think only North American politics get crazy around, before or after election season, then you're very mistaken: Latin America has a serious problem with political polarization. And the worst part, frankly (as a Latin American myself), is that both sides are very poor at doing their job.


Because sadly, both the left and the right wing of politics have failed to follow through with their promises, and have let their voters down, every single time. Whether it's the left giving away money until nations plummet into crisis and dictatorships like Maduro and Ortega come into power...

Or the right wing actually going out and hunting people because they supported the other side - committing atrocities that we also covered extensively in the Operation Condor episode - Latin America's politics need a real fix. If you want to learn more, then listen to this  week's special DUAL NARRATOR episode, where two friends decide to debate on which side is worse:

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2690

"Spain should ask for forgiveness" - these were the words of Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, shortly after being elected. She took it a step further and decided not to invite Spain's King Felipe VI after he failed to respond, and this initiated a grand debate: should Spain apologize for what their ancestors did 500 years ago?


Some claim it is a fair demand by a number of Latin American groups, while others believe it to be excessive - after all, who from today was alive back then? - but everybody has their own opinion.

In this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we follow a young man named Armando, as he explores this subject and digs deep into what Latin Americans and Spaniards really think about colonization and the consequences it has had until this day. Enjoy the episode!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2591

Donald Trump is back in power, and he is already taking action to bring mass migration into the US from the south to a screeching halt (understandable based on the numbers we were witnessing, but not a popular decision).


But he's also affecting Latin America in many other ways, several of which are extremely harmful for local economies. You see: Donald Trump is "America First", through and through, and though Latin America has been a geographical and philosophical ally for a long time, it seems that this may be about to change.

Still, how is Trump going head to head with the Latin American region, and how will this affect every country south of el Río Bravo? Find out in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2460

If you think about a psychiatrist, you usually associate this with someone of very high social standing, and if it's somebody who even served the president, then there's no way they could be a wrongdoer, right? Right...?

Wrong. Edmundo Chirinos, despite even being President Hugo Chavez's psychiatrist at one point, led a despicable double life in which he sedated and abused his female patients, committing terrible acts to hundreds of women, the enormous majority of which were unware of what he was doing.

But when things got out of control with one particular patient and he ended up taking her life, a countdown began for this horrible individual, and a significant amount of things were about to change in his life and in the lives of those around him. Find out more in this week's chilling episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast:

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/2327

Fine, right off the bat I'm cheating - Equatorial Guinea is NOT a Latin American country, I know... but it's also incredibly linked to the Spanish-speaking culture, and is a case study in itself of how colonization has entirely derailed the future of a nation in good ways and in bad.

Equatorial Guinea has a curious story behind it. Unlike with Christopher Columbus's "serendipitous" discovery of Latin America, the European powers were very aware of this African territory long before it was even a nation, and both Spain and Portugal made a deal to "claim" it and the lands around it. Thus, Spain became the "owner" of EG.

But today, we're going to find out much more than just the origin story - I'll share with you exactly what happened once Spain colonized the country, why Spanish spread so fast, and what has happened since then. So get ready to enjoy another episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast - all while getting closer to complete Spanish fluency!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1931

Have you heard of the "War of the Pacific" before? Your mind will inevitably go to WWII, where the American soldiers fought the Japanese in an endless, bloody battle that culminated in the two atomic bombs being launched on Japan, but... 


That's certainly NOT what this was. What I'm talking about today is the war that occurred between Chile and the alliance of Bolivia and Peru, when some trade disagreements turned into a full-blown clash that ended up with very angry neighboring nations facing off, and at least one of them occupied by foreign forces.


But how exactly did things get as bad as having countries attack each other and start a war? Was it justifiable, or was it another case of human stupidity? And what consequences did this leave for the three nations? Find out in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1832