Learn Spanish with Stories is the number one podcast for upper beginner to intermediate Spanish learners. The main objective of this podcast is to give students fun and interesting stories from Latin America to help students with Spanish immersion. You can read while you listen if you head over to podcast.lingomastery.com to find the transcript.
The Chicxulub Crater: The End of the Dinosaurs (El Cráter de Chicxulub: El Fin de los Dinosaurios)
Did you grow up loving dinosaurs like me? Maybe, maybe not, but you have to admit that it's sad how they disappeared. One day they were out there doing their thing, and then BOOM! A giant asteroid fell from the sky and ended them all. But where did that asteroid land? To be honest, there are mixed studies, but it is widely believed that the Yucatan extinction event was the cause for the disappearance of dinosaurs and 75% of all animal and plant life on Earth. Its crater, specifically known as The Chicxulub Crater, was discovered relatively recently (in the 1970s) and is still an extremely interesting subject of study. In this latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we'll dig deep into the story of this now-hidden crater, the story of the asteroid that caused it, and the fate of the dinosaurs 65-66 million years ago, all while learning Spanish. Enjoy! Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.ling
05/12/2023 • 25 minutes 45 seconds
Alberto Fujimori, A Presidential Controversy (Alberto Fujimori, Una Controversia Presidencial)
It may be surprising if you didn't already know this, but back in the late 1980s, a son of first-generation Japanese immigrants rose enough in political power and popularity to become president of a South American nation. We're talking of the ex-president of Peru, Alberto Fujimori, who was elected in a time of great economic and social struggle in the nation. There was even an ongoing war against the widespread terrorism brought about by Abimael Guzman's Sendero Luminoso (which we talked about in a previous episode) that Fujimori promised to end, which helped him convince voters during his campaign. But soon, Fujimori's tactics became more bloodthirsty, and his government measures more authoritarian, and such began the most controversial presidency in Peru's history. Discover all about it (while learning Spanish) in the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast! Transcript of this episode is available
28/11/2023 • 27 minutes 59 seconds
The Vargas Tragedy, When Nature Roared (La Tragedia de Vargas, Cuando la Naturaleza Rugió)
What if I told you that there was a "day in which the mountain rolled into the sea" in Venezuela? What would you think? It sounds almost poetic, but it describes the country's worst natural tragedy in history. It all began with a week of heavy rain, a storm at the beginning of December 1999, when the whole nation's attention was fixed almost entirely on the shifting political events that would mark the end of an era and the beginning of something revolutionary - the age of a new referendum under Hugo Chavez's government.But all eyes would certainly soon turn to the events occurring across the coast in Vargas state, as the rain continued to fall and soon turned into something much, much worse.In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we’ll delve into Venezuela's scariest natural disaster - one which marked a before and after for disaster prevention techniques and responses worldwide, such
21/11/2023 • 27 minutes 59 seconds
Gabriel García Márquez, The Father of Magical Realism (Gabriel García Márquez, El Padre del Realismo Mágico)
Did you know that one of the most influential writers in history is actually from Latin America? Colombia, to be exact – I’m talking of Gabriel García Márquez, of course! Father of the amazing and refreshing genre known as “Magical Realism”, this Aracataca-born man changed the course of Latin American literature forever with his classic “One Hundred Years of Solitude”. In this latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we’ll cover his life, his inspiration, the way he worked and why he grew to become Latin America’s most important writer of the past century. Enjoy! Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1177
14/11/2023 • 26 minutes 24 seconds
Why Do They Speak Portuguese in Brazil? (¿Por Qué en Brasil Se Habla Portugués?)
Do you know what’s one of the strangest things in Latin America? The fact that the biggest country in a Spanish-majority region (with a third of the total population in Latin America) speaks a different language: Portuguese. You’d think that somehow, Brazil would have adopted Spanish like their neighbors, but they never did, and even today, it is a minority language among many others. So… why? Why does Brazil speak Portuguese? Basically, it has a lot to do with its origins and how the colonized lands were divided when it came to the Portuguese and Spanish kingdoms, who now had practically full control of the South American continent. …but I won’t go into the historic details here. It’s better if you watch the fascinating latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, instead! Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1176
07/11/2023 • 30 minutes 42 seconds
The Triple Alliance War, The Dark History of the South (La Guerra de la Triple Alianza, La Oscura Historia del Sur)
Have you ever wondered why Paraguay isn’t really a big, star destination in South America? In fact, it’s actually one of the least talked about locations in all of Latin America despite its size and location. Well, this might have a lot to do with the fact that it went through a truly terrible war in the 1800s that decimated its infrastructure and even its population (up to HALF of Paraguayans died!), leaving the country more or less in ruins, and in need of serious rebuilding. And who were the culprits? That would be an interesting alliance between the Empire of Brazil (yes, it was an empire once), Argentina and Uruguay – in other words, what would be known as The Triple Alliance. But what caused the War of the Triple Alliance, and why did it get so ugly? Find out in today’s episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast! Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/117
31/10/2023 • 28 minutes 13 seconds
Kiki Camarena, A Heavy Price to Pay (Kiki Camarena, Un Gran Precio a Pagar)
Many of the best heroic stories end in tragedy. Such is the case of Kiki Camarena, the ace DEA agent with a magnificent sixth sense and an ability to sniff out the bad guys unlike any other. Although his career was centered on U.S. law enforcement, this Mexican-born special agent was transferred to Mexico to keep an eye on the ongoing events of the criminal underworld and soon realized that things were getting really bad, really quickly, way before anyone else did. Infiltrating himself into the world’s biggest marijuana plantation, thwarting Mexico’s biggest cartel in history at every turn, and even unveiling a massive international government conspiracy were only a few of the things Kiki managed to do within a few years… but this would end up costing him dearly. Find out more about the life and death of agent Kiki Camarena in the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast! Transcript of this episode is available
24/10/2023 • 28 minutes 43 seconds
Gustavo Dudamel, The Genius Behind the Music (Gustavo Dudamel, El Genio Detrás de la Música)
Some people are born different. Talented, special, prodigies… whatever you want to call them, they are able to do things others could only dream of. Gustavo Dudamel is one such man – from a young age, he demonstrated an immense ability in the world of music. This music conductor not only became the best of his nation, Venezuela, by the age of 18, but also soon dominated South America, Europe, and the entire world with his ability to lead orchestras of all shapes and sizes. Discover the story of this man who has not only broken all kinds of records in Venezuela but in music history, and who continues to amaze the world of art and music with his accomplishments, in the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast. Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1173
17/10/2023 • 25 minutes 33 seconds
Nevado del Ruiz Volcano, The Unforgettable Armero Tragedy (Volcán Nevado del Ruiz, La Inolvidable Tragedia de Armero)
In 1985, Colombia was going through one of its most terrible periods in all its history. On one side, Pablo Escobar was destabilizing the nation with his drug trade and violence, and the Cali Cartel was growing in power. On the other, only two years before, a terrible earthquake had destroyed the city of Popayán, scarring the memories of local citizens and bringing fear to those around the nation. But before the nation could recover, an even more horrific event struck – one that would be seared not only into the minds of Colombians, but of all humans worldwide. The brave, pleading eyes of Omayra Sanchez, the desperation of her rescuers, the pain and terror following a volcanic eruption and the avalanche of hot mud that followed… This is the story of the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz: the Armero Tragedy, and all the horror - as well as the courage - that followed. Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/list
10/10/2023 • 30 minutes 59 seconds
Spanish in Asia, Hispanic Influence in the Philippines (Español en Asia, Influencia Hispana en Filipinas)
Welcome back to the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast by Lingo Mastery! We’ve arrived once more, this time with Season 3, to bring you the best in Spanish learning. This time, we want to travel across the world, away from Latin America… all the way to the Philippines, where a very interesting Spanish-related development happened between the 1500s and late 1800s – the colonization of these enchanting islands by the Spanish Crown. In this episode, we want to tell you more about what consequences the Spanish influence brought to the Filipino culture, how they left their mark on religion but strangely not so much on the language, and what role the United States had to do in all of this (spoiler alert – it’s not a pretty one)! Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1171
