Spanish On the Go! - Improve your listening comprehension skills with our authentic podcasts

Lola Álvarez Bravo was the first Mexican female photographer. She learned the art and trade of photography from her renowned husband Manuel Álvarez Bravo, but soon she started to develop her own style. In an art world dominated by male artists, Lola made a name for herself by capturing the everyday life of post-revolution Mexico in black and white. Rural schools, street markets, children playing and workers hard-at-work rebuilding the country were some of her favorite topics in an ever-changing society.

Click play to hear about the remarkable woman who captured the essence of daily Mexican life!

The Nazca are an ancestral culture from modern-day Peru. This highly sophisticated culture made great technological advances in ceramics, textiles and agriculture, including the development of underground aqueducts. However, most people around the world know them for the so-called Nazca Lines. These mysterious lines carved into the ground, forming complex and detailed shapes only seen from high above, have puzzled scholars and the public alike for over a century.

Click play to learn all about the ancestral Nazca culture and the intriguing line designs they left behind.

Queen Isabella I of Spain is one of the most prominent and controversial figures in the history of Spain. Better known as Isabella the Catholic, she and her husband Ferdinand the Catholic reigned during key global transformational periods such as the political and religious unification of Spain, the end of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula, and the 'discovery' of the New World. Queen Isabella not only sponsored Christopher Columbus expeditions, she also took a keen interest in ensuring the rights of the indigenous peoples of America.

Click play to hear more about this fascinating monarch who was instrumental in shaping the world as we know it.

Assata Shakur was the first woman to appear on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list. She was a controversial political activist, first within the Black Panther Party and later with the Black Liberation Army. She fought against the systemic oppression of her community and the injustices of the American legal system. After a daring prison break, Assata escaped to Cuba and was granted political asylum by the Castro government, causing even greater tensions between the two feuding nations.

Click play to learn about the story of a woman who fought against injustice in the United States and adopted Cuba as her new home.

Back in the 1950's a family abuse case shocked Mexican society to its core. A man by the name of Rafael Pérez Hernández kept his wife and kids locked in the family house for over a decade under terrible conditions. Hernández saw himself as a 'free thinker' and claimed to be protecting his family from the evils and dangers of the corrupt outside world. While in reality, Hernández deprived his family of any freedom and kept them in a world of physical and emotional abuse.

Click play to hear the harrowing tale of the man whose utopian quest for freedom became a prison for his loved ones.

The Valdivia culture originated centuries ago in the north shore of modern-day Ecuador. The Valdivia civilization developed sophisticated agriculture and pottery tools and techniques never seen before. In fact, the Valdivian culture is considered the first pottery-making civilization in the American continent. Among the many exquisite pieces recovered are the so-called Venuses, feminine figurines each with their own unique characteristics. These enigmatic figurines have specially captured the attention of the world and are a source of great debate among academics.

Click play to learn more about this fascinating ancient civilization who started the Latin American pottery-making tradition that lives on to our days.

El asado argentino is more than a delicious barbecued meal: is a ritual passed down from generation to generation that fuses the country's past, present and future. Understanding Argentina's passion for asado is understanding its history, from the first horses and cattle introduced by the Spanish colonizers to the rich tradition of los gauchos who were the first Argentineans to normalize grilling and eating different beef cuts. The gauchos made a full ceremony of the grilling that included sharing the meal with friends while singing, drinking mate and telling stories around the fire.

Click play to learn more about the origins of Argentina's most popular meal and national identity and heritage!

The Great Pyramid of Cholula in Puebla, Mexico, is not as tall as some of the famous Egyptian pyramids, but its surface is so wide that it is the biggest in the world! This magnificent pyramid offers many insights into the lives, social and religious practices of the ancient peoples that lived in this area, yet for centuries it remained completely hidden by vegetation. In fact, for years people mistook this impressive archeological site for a hill and they even built a Catholic church on top of the hidden temple.

Click play to uncover the many secrets of the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the world's largest pyramid!

Born in extreme poverty in post-Civil War Spain, when he was around 8, Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja was left to survive alone deep in the Andalusian mountains range. He befriended a pack of wolves and other creatures, hunted and foraged for food to survive. Years later, he was captured by the Civil Guard and taken into the city for the long, slow and very difficult process of re-entering the society that cast him away as a child.

Click play to be blow-away by the inspiring story of the feral child who beat all odds.

Miami is known for its vibrant night life, incredible beaches, and predominantly Latino population that goes back hundreds of years. While the arrival of thousands of Cubans escaping Castro's regime not only influenced the language, cuisine and economy of the city, it also opened the door for the waves of Latin American immigrants that followed and turned Miami in the capital of Latin America.

Click plat to learn more about how Miami became the metropolis it is now with 70% of latinos!