Do you remember the first lullabies that were sung to you as a baby? Probably not, but there definitely is a song in your mind that brings you back to your earliest, most innocent days. Latin America, a cultural mix, has plenty of lullabies with interesting origins.

Some came to arrive all the way from Africa, with the slaves that crossed the oceans and worked tirelessly under colonial rule; others were passed down from the ancestral peoples who called Latin America their home (and certainly did not call it "Latin America", of course). While another group of songs were brought by the Spanish colonizers, who had their own beliefs, their own dreams and worldviews.

In this special DUAL NARRATOR episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we listen to those songs that marked our childhoods, sing them out loud, and travel across the region to discover the origins, tunes, and meanings of all of these wonderful expressions of life. Enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5132

Unless you've missed a lot of the recent news, you'll probably have heard about María Corina Machado's Nobel Peace Prize award, and how US President Donald Trump soon became the recipient of her winning medal... but what is the backstory behind all of this?

Too much has been spoken about Venezuela from sides that are extremely politically driven (on both sides of the spectrum), but who really is María Corina Machado? And what did she do to earn her Nobel Prize?

In this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we dive into her political journey, why her efforts have mattered so much, how she fought a literal dictatorship without violence, and how she ended up "stealing" Donald Trump's Peace Prize before generously donating it. Enjoy the episode!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5099

There are some really amazing stories regarding independence and freedom in Latin America, but what if I told you that the episode you're about to listen to is about the first settlement to gain freedom in ALL of the Americas (North AND South America): San Basilio de Palenque.

Located on the Caribbean coast of Colombia, Cartagena was one of the main slave hubs of the continent, and a place where thousands of African men and women disembarked every year to be sold to colonists that needed manpower for their land and homes. And this slavery was brutal - these peoples from the Congo, Angola, Guinea, and Senegal.

But a ray of hope appeared in the form of a man: a rebel leader named Benkos Biohó, who decided to take a group of slaves (including his family) and escape to a new place, a new village, where freedom would be born in the Americas, and inevitable change would begin in a place called San Basilio de Palenque... find out more in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5066

Latin America has suffered under fascism throughout its history, and right-wing dictators have made a strong negative impact on the region throughout several decades of the region's existence. These, perhaps, have been the more bloodthirsty of past and present dictators, willing to harm citizens to effectively further their goals.

One of the most terrible dictators Latin America ever had was Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, who we featured in a past season of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, but this episode isn't centered on him - it tells the mysterious, chilling tale of Jesús de Galíndez, a Spanish intellectual who stood up to fascism in both Europe and Latin America, before disappearing... forever.

In this episode, we attempt to understand the events surrounding his disappearance, what happened to him later, and what legacy this brave man left behind in a world of darkness.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5033

Some of the most interesting and curious flags in the world are those in Latin America; after all, aren't some, like, almost identical to each other? And why would that be?

Besides, what's with Paraguay having a two-sided flag (the ONLY one in the world to have this characteristic)? Or Brazil having "Ordem e Progresso" stamped across the center of its flag? And why do Uruguay and Argentina both have tributes to the Sun?

Well, all of these mysteries, the history of these flags, and why they're so awesome will become clear in the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast: enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5000

History tells too many tales of great men, but what about the incredible women that liberated countries and fought valiantly in wars where they were overpowered and outnumbered? Manuela Sáenz was such a woman who, despite being seen at the time as little more than "Simón Bolívar's love interest" was actually a political and military mastermind in freeing the colonies from Spanish rule.

A courageous woman who was not afraid of putting herself at risk to cooperate and coordinate the independentist forces to fight back against their oppressors, she was a rebel from her early years, and in today's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories Podcast, we reflect on how exactly she contributed to this crucial war.

Enjoy the episode, and find out why Manuela Sáenz de Vergara y Aizpuru became known as the "Liberator of the Liberator", why she earned so many military awards, and how instrumental she became to the freedom of millions of South Americans.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4967

One of the most exciting plans you can have for traveling across Latin America is by road trip. After all, it is one of the most biologically, climatologically, and socially diverse regions in the world, with over 670 million people spread across 20+ countries, and there is so much to see.

In today's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, our protagonist Daniel finally embarks on the trip of a lifetime: going from the east of Mexico all around Latin America, and returning to the west of the same country.

Join him in this special episode where, through exciting human experiences and becoming one with nature, Daniel learns why Latin America is such a wonderful, magical, and very warm place. [Note: This story is inspired by so many travelers who have had similar road trips, getting to know Latin America's true spirit through immersion].

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4934

Latin America has produced some of the most amazing artists, and today's star of our podcast is no exception. Rubén Blades, born to two musicians in a humble neighborhood, grew rapidly to become one of the world's household names when it comes to salsa and other tropical music.

However, he didn't stay limited to being recognized as a world-class "salsero", oh no... he studied at Harvard, also became a movie and series star, featuring in massive Hollywood hits (Predator 2, Fear the Walking Dead), and eventually came back home to Panama to launch his race for the presidency.

In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we explore the life of one of the world's most recognized Latin American artists, and discover just how he accomplished so much, so quickly.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/4901

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