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Shining Path, Abimael's Army (Sendero Luminoso, El Ejército de Abimael) May 23, 2023

Show notes

In the history of Latin America, political extremes have caused great pain and suffering, especially to innocents throughout the rural areas of Central and South America. Communism has not been an exception to this rule. And in Peru, during the 70s, 80s and 90s, one particular Communist party made Peru an extremely dangerous and unwelcome place to live in. Led by a narcissistic leader who believed in using violence to further his goals, Sendero Luminoso is a fantastic example of terrorist groups hiding behind a “political party” to accomplish their goals.

With Abimael Guzmán at the helm, the so-called Shining Path recruited college students, teachers, and even high school teenagers as soldiers, forming an army that would later be the cause of bombings, kidnappings and murders, with drug trafficking and executions also being among their preferred activities. The government’s response was equally as violent, and war came to Peru. But how did this terrible story end, and what happened with Abimael and his army at the end? Find out in this action-packed episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1168

Nayib Bukele, Tyrant or Savior? (Nayib Bukele, ¿Tirano o Salvador?) May 16, 2023

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Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez. You may love him, hate him, or wonder who we’re even talking about – but the truth is that Nayib Bukele has changed the direction of El Salvador’s history forever, simply by turning it from the world’s most dangerous nation to one of its safest, practically overnight. But we must ask the important question here: is he the Central American nation’s savior? Or is he a tyrant slowly controlling the population’s lives with an iron fist?

In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we are going to discover not only what Nayib Bukele has accomplished in a few years, but everything that led (historically speaking) to today’s situation in El Salvador and why he was elected to begin with. After all, as the old adage goes: “Hard times create strong men”. Enjoy the episode!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1167

Operation Just Cause, The Last Invasion of Latin America (Operación Causa Justa, La Última Invasión a Latinoamérica) May 09, 2023

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Did you know Panama has no army? Probably not, but it wasn’t an arbitrary or random decision. You see, it was all due to one man: a dictator, a tyrant, an enemy of the United States of America. Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno, who grew from low-ranking soldier in the Panamanian Army to the most powerful man in the country in just a few decades. And – while they initially loved him as a strong ally against Latin American communism – his relationship with the U.S. soon turned sour and brought about the last foreign invasion Latin America has ever faced.

In this episode, we learn the story behind the United States’ famous ‘Operation Just Cause’, a controversial invasion of Panama which left civilians and enemy forces dead in its wake, and which still causes certain bitterness and anger in the Central American nation to this day. And… just what was Noriega’s darkest, deepest secret that shocked the world long after the invasion had ended? Find out in our latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1166

The Most Bizarre Places in Latin America (Lugares Más Bizarros de América Latina) May 02, 2023

Show notes

So, by you now you know your Latin American beaches, your mountains and waterfalls - of which there are many, so congrats for that – but you probably haven’t yet heard of the lesser-known “bizarre” or even “haunted” places in Latin America. But what makes a place bizarre? Any number of things, starting from a worryingly high number of suicides having occurred there, or a horrific backstory of drowning or demonic possession… anything goes when it comes to the weirdest places in Latin America.

Tequendama Falls, the Island of the Dead Dolls, the Devil’s Island… travel from Mexico to Argentina in this episode dedicated to the places you may actually love the idea of visiting, but make sure to prepare yourself: there is some horror to discover as we visit each place. Are you ready to learn of the places that makes Latin Americans’ blood run cold? Join us in this latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1165

Pablo Escobar, "Plata o Plomo" (Pablo Escobar, Plata o Plomo) Apr 25, 2023

Show notes

While today we may recognize Medellín as a beautiful city that is not only welcoming of tourists and digital nomads but also a safe place to live, it was not this way just a few decades ago… You see, in the 1980s and early 1990s, a wanted criminal known Pablo Escobar had made this city – as well as much of Colombia – his personal territory in which he would grow what was the biggest drug trade business in history. It didn’t only earn him much riches and recognition, even being named on the Forbes list of international billionaires seven years in a row, but also put him in the sights of the U.S. government.

A troubled man who some considered Colombia’s “Paisa Robin Hood”, this individual had a strong resentment for the oligarchy and wanted to change the political and social order in his nation by force. But was this violent drug lord who brought the region to a standstill a maniac or a genius? We will discover this in our latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast. Enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1164

O Rei Pelé: The Best Football Player in History? (O Rei Pelé, ¿El Mejor Futbolista de la Historia?) Apr 18, 2023

Show notes

Diego Maradona. Lionel Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo. They have all been the greatest of their times at some point… but there is a player who is even greater than these footballing giants. The winner of 7 Ballons d’Or (you’ll understand in a minute), 3 World Cup trophies (sorry Cristiano), Player of the Century and so many more awards, O Rei Pelé was on a whole different level. Furthermore, having been born into extreme poverty was unable to destroy his self-belief or his willpower, and you’ll discover more about this in this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast.

But what is the story behind Pelé’s success? And what else happened in this man’s fascinating life; a life that came to a sad end so recently in 2022? This footballer who we must remember was also an actor, an ambassador for UNESCO and so much more – the time has come to dive headfirst into the biography of the (disputed) greatest footballer of all time.

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1163

Frida Kahlo, A… Feminist Icon? (Frida Kahlo, Un Ícono… ¿Feminista?) Apr 11, 2023

Show notes

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderón. You may know her simply as Frida Kahlo… An artist with a tragic past. A woman who knew suffering and sadness. A wonderful warrior who fought like no other, both against the societal reality of her time, as well as the difficulties of disability and chronic pain. And yet, her story is not always well told, as it also seems to leave out some important events.

You see, for all her strengths and virtues as an artist and a human, she had one massive weakness. A man, who played with her feelings and humiliated her whenever he could, to the point in which she was quoted as having two great accidents – the one that left her body destroyed, and Diego Rivera. But let’s go more in depth in our latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, in which we question: was Frida Kahlo truly a feminist icon? Enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1162

Antarctic Expedition, What’s Beyond Southern South America? (Expedición Antártica, ¿Qué Hay al Sur de Suramérica?) Apr 04, 2023

Show notes

South America is fascinating and has some incredibly remote areas, but what if you want to go even more south and even more remote? Well, good news for you, as you would find yourself in Antarctica, the land of the penguins and sea lions, the place where the coldest temperature in history has ever been recorded.

But what is the link between Antarctica and Latin America, how do you get there, and what crazy story surrounds its discovery and exploration? Find out in this week’s episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast by Lingo Mastery! Enjoy… and take a sweater!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1161

What If...? Alternate Latin American History (¿Qué Pasaría Si...? Historia Latinoamericana Alterna) Mar 28, 2023

Show notes

This is it. The episode you’ve been waiting for… the long-awaited What If? episode, in which we travel through realities and find out what could have happened in Latin American history. Join Anthony and Li as they make use of a time machine to move across realities and witness the greatest moments of Latin American past, present and future transformed into something very different, with quite surprising outcomes...

This special edition episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories will blow your mind – all while teaching you the best in Spanish fluency! Enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1160

Latin Americans Around the World, Debunking Myths (Latinoamericanos por el Mundo, Desmintiendo Mitos) Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Over time, more and more Latin Americans have left their nations and traveled across the world – sometimes out of necessity, other times out of the desire to triumph in a nation that offers them opportunities. However, this has sometimes brought conflict with the locals, who have disregarded them or their culture.

In this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, we want to remind the world of how special Latin Americans can be, whether in the arts, the sciences or any other fields where they apply their efforts. With Nobel Prize winners, world-class musicians and even NASA scientists featured in this episode, we are about to dispel all the myths you’ve ever heard about Latin Americans. Check it out and enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1159

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