Brujería: Getting Witchy in Latin America

by Brian Alcamo

Those who have visited already know that Latin America is filled with excitement, adventure, and even magic. 

The term brujería has come into public consciousness in the past few years. Beyond cool looking social media posts, the practice has a long and extensive history. In fact, brujería is a bit of a catch-all word. Literally translated to “witchcraft,” the word also refers to multiple spiritual practices historically employed by Caribbean, African, and indigenous Latin Americans. Generally speaking, brujería includes honoring the planet earth (through goddesses such as Oshun and Elegua), cleansing, ancestor worship, and lighting candles. Sometimes, wearing specific clothes, singing or chanting, and preparing sacred offerings are part of practices as well. 

Yoruba, for instance, is a thousands-year old religion hailing from West Africa. It blended with indigenous practices and Roman Catholicism to form Santeria (also called Lucimi). An Afro-Cuban religion that emerged in Latin America during the 15th and 16th Century in response to Spanish colonization, the religion lives on to this day. It is a complex folk religion with an entire pantheon of Orishas— manifestations of Oludumare, or God. Most of these deities were borrowed from Yoruba, and some of them have alter egos among the Catholic saints. They are often exclusively communicated with through collaboration with trained, initiated followers. Santería favors ritual correctness over personal belief, so if you want to try your hand at accessing some of the religion’s power, make sure you find a trustworthy santero.

A Santería Celebration in Cuba

While Santería is the result of colonization, Spanish colonizers didn’t come to the Americas in the name of religious syncretism. In fact, they even brought the Inquisition, their brutal and forceful campaign for religious uniformity, with them to the New World. Compared to what they were like on the Iberian Peninsula, 16th Century Colonial witch hunts were even worse, with stake burning and extreme violence towards indigenous people being common. 

Spain’s Inquisition failed in its home territory, and it didn’t go well in the Americas, either. Unfortunately, just because religious policing failed doesn’t mean that people didn’t get hurt. Women suffered the most from violent religious extremism in the name of colonization, as they mingled in markets and often shared homemade remedies that traversed taboo racial boundaries as well as the boundaries of science and religion.

One of these remedies, known for its vitality-promoting properties, was chocolate. The drink has been cultivated in the Americas for at least the past 3,000 years. It originated as a status symbol, and was served to royals, diplomats, and at weddings. Its caffeine content, flavor profile, and power it held in indigenous communities scared Spanish colonizers from the get-go. 

Vocabulary for Your Next Séance

• Hechizo - spell

• Caldera - cauldron

• Varita mágica

• Séance - sesíon espiritista

• Magía - magic

Spanish colonizers immediately prohibited many Aztec health plants like psychedelic mushrooms, but kept chocolate around, even adopting the beverage for themselves (probably because they realized that it was delicious). It eventually became a mass-market phenomenon, with people drinking it every day as opposed to reserving it for special occasions. Chocolate’s popularity became a symbol swept up in the developing patchwork Latin American culture, which was a melting pot of indigenous, African, and Spanish cultures. 

Chocolate cooks prepared the beverage by first creating a paste made out of ground cacao, vanilla, and annatto, along with other spices, storing it in blocks to be used later. When someone wanted a cup of chocolate, they would whip the paste with hot water until foamy.  To indigenous Mesoamericans, chocolate represented vitality. Men and women alike drank it for strength and power. Women most often prepared the chocolate, and men constantly said that they were being bewitched through the inky beverage, bringing their suspicions to the table at every meal (but never considering that they could cook for themselves to avoid sneaky spells). 

Independent, single women who were economically active were easy pickings for witch hunters, since few people could seem to wrap their heads around the possibility that a woman could make her own living. They used potions to slip through the very low glass ceilings of wiferey, motherhood, and sexual submission. Women made good money with their witchcraft, and the entire practice subverted men’s long-assumed intellectual and economic power over them. These feelings were tenfold in Latin America, where Spanish colonizer’s guidebooks could not match Indigenous women’s knowledge of their native continent. Unfortunately, this made indigenous women big targets for the inquisition.

Magical hot chocolate sat at the intersection of witchcraft and colonial strife. To European colonizers, the drink represented dissent, with racial, religious, and gender conflicts sitting at the bottom of each cup of cocoa. Once tried and found guilty of witchcraft, women most often went to prison.

A Cocoa Tree

In an attempt to control witchcraft, the Spanish Inquisition pushed magical practices to far-flung corners of society, following an “If I can’t see it, then it doesn’t exist” model of control. Women, who lost their autonomy after marriage, used brujería to regain control in their relationships while their husbands maintained the right to beat and cheat. Using chocolate as the basis of magic making was a way for women to transform their quotidian servitude into an act of power. Clearly, it worked, since governmental authorities were scared to let them continue without punishment. What they ended up doing, though, was incubating popular magical belief and religious culture beyond their dominion of control.

Even chocolate’s significance was eventually infused into indigenous converts’ new Catholic practices, with peoples leaving cacao offerings to Jesus. The Spanish conquerors could not keep up with their subjects’ creativity, losing track of the myriad ways Indigenous and African spiritual practices were growing, transforming, and even merging with their beloved Catholicism. Santería is the byproduct of centuries of creativity in the face of colonial might, and even Mexico’s Dia de Muertos merges indigenous practices with the Catholic All Saints Day. Walter Mercado, for all his pizzaz and pageantry, is yet another example of Latin America’s consistent grip on mysticism that goes beyond the monotheistic.

Nowadays, modern day brujas, brujos, and brujx are reclaiming the long-held taboo of the sexual enchantress and harnessing mysticism. Many are now publicly vocal about their power. Like their ancestors before them, young Latinx people are adopting brujeria to connect with their heritage, mysticism, and creativity. So, the next time you dissolve a tablet of Ibarra in your milk for a cup of hot chocolate, remember that you could be on the verge of casting a spell in line with centuries-old magic. 

Thumbnail photo by Tengyart.

Upgrade Your Reading Comprehension With These Books Studied By Spanish High Schoolers

by Brian Alcamo

What books do Spanish students read in high school?

Back to school season is upon us. That means that hoards of high school students are returning to their desks, still salty and sandy from the summer. With grades once again being a source of concern for most, they’re bound to get back to a familiar assignment: reading. Here in the US, most high school students are familiar with a few titles, such as The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Catcher In The Rye. These classics unify our often disparate education system (so does algebra, but we’re more keen on the ~written word~ here). But what do students in Spain read? And can you incorporate these works into your Spanish learning? Let’s find out with these Spanish high school classics.

Part One: Obligatory Historical Classics

According to Bea, one of our native Spanish instructors, “everyone in Spain knows these titles and studies some parts of them, but not everyone has fully read them.” Most of these books are… old. Bea says that the books in their most original formats aren’t recommended for Spanish learners. Because of their age, they’re difficult to read front to back, and even native Spanish speakers will often misunderstand the vocabulary and syntax (think about if you’ve ever had to read Beowulf, I bet your teacher was very forgiving about effort). If you want to experience the story, there are tons of learner versions available.

Don Quijote de la Mancha - Miguel de Cervantes (1605)

While Spanish students don’t always have to read this work all the way through, it is usually thought of as the most important book in the Spanish literary canon. Considered the first modern novel, students will study pieces of the book and learn its plot (which follows a noble-turned-knight-errant on a quest to revive chivalry), even without reading it all the way through. Its language is dastardly difficult, so students who do end up reading it all the way through will typically do so with an adaptation. Here’s an adaptation for Spanish learners at the A2 level!

Don Quijote de La Mancha

La Celestina - Fernando de Rojas (1499)

La Celestina follows a young man pursuing a young woman who employs the magical help of a local procuress, named Celestina, who has a reputation for convincing young women to accept the love of the men who crush on them. Raunchy and witchy for the era (we’re talking peak Spanish Inquisition), the book’s sexual bent remains subversive even to this day. While sometimes regarded as the first novel, though not as adamantly as El Quijote is, many believe it to be more of a piece of dramatic literature, since it is composed almost exclusively of scenes of dialogue. The work has been performed and staged all over the world.

 El Lazarillo de Tormes - Anonymous writer (1554)

La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades (The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and of His Fortunes and Adversities) is a Spanish novella that follows Lazarillo, who spends his youth as a blind beggar’s apprentice. Subsequent chapters follow him as he works for priests, squires, and friars. La vida’s claim to fame is being the first Picaresque literary work, a satirical genre that follows a picaro or “rogue” who gets by in a corrupt society by using their wit. Containing collections of mini episodes rather than one overarching narrative, picaresque novels attempt to expose social injustices in humorous ways. An English-language take on a picaresque novel is Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

El Lazarillo de Tormes

La vida es sueño - Calderón de la Barca (1635)

La vida es sueño (Life is a Dream) is a play emblematic of the Spanish Golden Age drama, which lasted from around 1590 until 1680. The play follows Segismundo, the (fictional) prince of Poland, who is locked up in a tower by his father, (fictional) King Basilio because of a prophecy saying that the prince would wreak havoc on Poland and cause the king’s demise (by demise we mean death). Segismundo is let out of the tower for a brief period before being locked up again, and he is convinced that this brief period of time extramuros was simply a dream (hence the title). The play is consistently studied as one of Calderón’s best works, and was recently listed by the Independent as one of the 40 best plays of all time.

Vocabulary To Help You In the Library

• Lectura obligatoria - Required reading

• Comprensión de lectura - Reading comprehension

• Pistas de contexto - Context clues

• Personaje principal - Main character

• Escritor - Writer

Part Two: Less Obligatory Popular Contemporary Titles

Spanish students aren’t relegated to titles that may feel a little bit antique, they also read more contemporary works as well. These books aren’t as obligatory across the entire country, but are very common. 

Works by Spanish Authors

La casa de Bernarda Alba - Federico García Lorca ()

La casa de Bernarda Alba, or The House of Bernarda Alba is a play by Federico García Lorca that follows a family of six women (five daughters and one mother) after the death of their father. Bernarda Alba, the matriarch of the family, imposes an eight-year mourning period on her daughters, and makes it her business to ensure that all five daughters are sad all the time mourning their father both in public and in private, black dresses and all. When the prospects of love and sex come up for the sisters, the play errupts into a debate on repression, passion, tradition, and conformity. Lauded for its exclusion of on-stage male characters, the play ups the ante when it comes to dissecting what it means to be a woman looking for the company of a man.

El camino - Miguel Delibes ()

El camino, or The Road, is author Miguel Delibes’ third novel. It follows a boy who moves from the Spanish countryside to the city. It deals with themes such a nature versus city life and deconstructs the social mores that come with urban existence.

Nada - Carmen Laforet (1945)

Considered one of the most important Spanish literary works of the twentieth century, Nada (Nothing) is an existentialist novella that examines Spanish economic stagnation and the poverty felt by Spaniards on a day to day basis after the end of the Spanish Civil War. The novella takes place in Barcelona, and follows eighteen year-old Andrea as she spends her first year at university living with her aunt and uncle.

Fun fact: the book is considered the Catcher in the Rye of Spanish literature!

Nada

Works by Latin American Authors

While Spain has its own distinct literary traditions, Spanish teachers understand that some of the greatest Spanish-language works come from Latin America. Here are four books that have crossed the Atlantic to teach Europeans a thing or two about what goes on in the Spanish-speaking parts of the Western Hemisphere.

Cien años de soledad (1967, Colombia)

Cien años de soledad (100 years of solitude) is a renowned novel from Colombian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez that follows a family headed by patriarch José Arcadio Buendía, who founded the fictional town of Macondo. The book’s magical realist style positioned it as a classic work in the Latin American Boom literary canon, combining European modernism with the Cuban Avant-garde style.

El túnel - Ernesto Sabato (1948, Argentina)

El tunel is an existentialist novel that explores the twisted psyche of Juan Pablo Castel, a painter from Buenos Aires, as he tumbles into the pitfalls of romantic obsession. 

Sor Juana de Inés de la Cruz o Las trampas de la fe - Octavio Paz (1989, Mexico)

At the height of his career, Octavio Paz was the top poet and writer in all of Mexico. His work Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz o Las trampas de la fé (Sister Juana of Inés de la Cruz or The Traps of Faith) explores the life of Sister Juana, a renowned poet and nun from a different century, back when Mexico was known as New Spain. Sor Juana begins her adult life (at the age of fifteen) as the virreina’s protegée. After spending five years at her court, she joins a convent for life, turning the cloistered abbey into a salon with intellectual reaches across the entire hispanophone world. His account of her fascinating life attempts to answer the question of why a woman with such intellectual gifts would become a nun, explorig the patriarchal traditions of New Spain and the annals of seeking feminine freedom behind the walls of the Catholic Church.  

A portrait of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

Pedro Páramo - Juan Rulfo (1955, Mexico)

Imagine returning to your hometown to visit your father after your mother’s death only to find that the town is inhabited exclusively by ghosts. That’s exactly what happens to this book’s eponymous protagonist, Pedro Páramo. Written by Juan Rulfo in 1955, the book’s reception was initially lackluster, selling only two-thousand copies in its first four years of being published. After some time, the book reached mega-popularity and acclaim. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (see above) credits the book for getting him out of his writer’s block and being the catalyst for his own obra maestra Cien años de soledad.

Thanks For Reading!

Thinking of reading even more? Reading in your target language is a fantastic way to improve your skills. Check out one of the books we mentioned in this post, and be sure to share this list with your friends!

Eco-Friendly Latin American Startups: A Sustainable Dream Journey

Photo by Snowscat

by Brian Alcamo

Latin America is home to breathtaking Patagonian vistas (pictured above), delicious Puerto Rican cuisine, adorable Peruvian alpacas, and so much more. What do all of these things have in common? They’re all inextricably linked to Mother Earth. With so many cultural treasures at risk of severe change and damage, it’s a no brainer that Latin Americans are stepping up their game when it comes to beating climate change. These innovative latinx companies aren’t simply advocating for climate justice or positioning themselves as carbon neutral, they’re getting their hands dirty, combining cutting edge technology with a deep connection to humanity’s earthly physicality in order to transform the global economy into a one that is sustainable and circular. 

To show you how amazing all of these companies are, we’ll be taking you through a journey showing how their innovations can work in tandem with each other. Let’s imagine we’re all venturing out into the world of sustainable food production. Pleasure doing business with you! 

(Pro-tip: To beef up your Spanish reading skills, check out these companies’ websites en español)

Step One: Plants 

Our food-production journey begins with sowing seeds and scouting soil. As eco-friendly food producers need to respond to the demands of a changing climate, we’ll be employing technology developed by Instacrops. Claiming to be “the most powerful AgTech full stack platform in Latin America,” the company bills itself as a virtual agricultural advisor, transforming data into concrete recommendations for farmers.

Based in Santiago, Chile, this startup’s goal is to connect Latinx farmers to data about their plants, including data on climate, soil, and irrigation, by installing devices connected to the now ubiquitous “Internet of Things.” What is the Internet of Things? It’s a system of web-connected gadgets that benefit from their integration with the ‘net by communicating with other data-sharing devices. If you’ve ever owned a FitBit, a smart thermostat, or an Internet-connected coffee pot (yes, those exist), then you’ve participated in the Internet of Things.

Instacrops also uses satellite and drone technology to provide farmers with easy-to-digest visualizations of their crop data to keep them up to speed on how their plants are faring in our rapidly changing climate. Plants may seem to grow slowly, but farmers need to know how their terrain is faring as our weather patterns shift and become increasingly extreme. 

An Agricultural Vocabulary Check-In

• El granjero/el agricultor - Farmer

• Semillas - Seeds

• El riego - watering/irrigation

Step Two: Factory

Once our crop yields are as abundant as can be, we’ll need to move them into a warm and secure indoor space to be processed and turned into delicious consumable products. We’ll use building materials provided to us by Green Bricks, a Chilean company that recycles plastic bottles into concrete alternatives that is heavily invested in creating and promoting the world’s transistion towards a circular economy. Our food processing plant will not only be sustainably constructed, it will also be beautiful. Green Bricks isn’t simply producing rigid building materials, they are interested in ensuring high quality, beautiful construction experiences for their customers.  

A Quick Construction Vocab Break

• Hormigón - concrete

• El Ladrillo - brick

• La fábrica - factory

Step Three: Production

To help the planet transition away from constantly consuming animal by-products, our factory will be producing some of the world’s most high-end plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. Two companies we might take inspiration from are Heartbest and NotCo. Heartbest is a Mexican plant-based food company founded by a father and son whose dietary restrictions helped them come to realize that being vegan in Latin America is can be challenging. They take a community-oriented approach to crafting plant-based “dairy” products made of amaranth and quinoa. The company tries to connect to people who are in search of a food experience that allows them to connect with their lifestyle goals. 

Compared to Heartbest, NotCo’s operations are more wide-ranging. This Chilean plant-based company is growing fast in Latin America while still struggling to enter the US where the plant-based food market is more saturated with competition. Despite these challenges, NotCo’s production process sets itself apart from others with its ability to produce not only dairy alternatives, but meat alternatives as well. This is in contrast to companies like Impossible Meat and Oatly, whose products are sequestered to one side of the plant-based spectrum.

Plant-Based Vocabulary Pit Stop

• Basado en plantas - Plant-based 

• Vegano - Vegan

• Alternativas a la carne - Meat alternatives

Step Four: Packaging

After being chopped, blended, melted, and molded into delicious plant-based products, our foodstuffs will need to be packaged to be sent off to stores and consumers. In the Beforetimes, we’d most likely use plastic. Unfortunately, plastic takes 400 years to biodegrade. That’s such a long time that we haven’t ever seen any plastic biodegrade, since it was only invented in the mid-1800s.

Instead of using plastic, we would use plastic alternatives courtesy of Bioelements. To circumvent plastic’s degradation process that would take five and a half human lifetimes, Bioelements has developed a special resin called Bio-E8, which naturally degrades in fewer than two years, and fewer than six months in favorable conditions, such as in professional composting facilities. The Chilean plastic alternative startup has clients in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Peru, and now the United States. 

A Packing Vocabulary Wrap Up

• La botella - the bottle

• La caja - the box

• El embalaje - packaging

Part Five: Consumption 

After our food was ready to leave the factory, it would be sent out to happy consumers all over the region (or world). Satisfied customers would rejoice in their nutritious plant-based food, and have no qualms about sending their containers off to be composted and put back into the soil. These composted bottles could be used to create fertilizer suitable for growing more seeds for more plant-based goodies, and the cycle would complete itself time and time again. Welcome to Eco-topia!

We’ve highlighted only a few of the myriad Latin American startups looking to make our world a more sustainable place, but rest assured that learning Spanish will help you stay up to date with all sorts of wonderful innovations like the ones touched on during our journey through an eco-friendly production process!

Thanks for reading!

Excited about an environmentally conscious future? Tell us about it in the comments below, and be sure to share this post with your crunchiest Spanish learning peers!

Thumbnail photo by Cristian Castillo.

7 Latin American LGBTQIA+ Films to Watch For Pride Month

Happy Pride Month! Remember movies? No, remember going to the movies? Neither do we. Luckily, the country’s successful vaccination campaign means that movie theaters are opening up again and it’s once again safe to head back to one of those big, over-air conditioned rooms. However, while we love going to movie theaters, they do typically lack in foreign language films. Watching movies is a great way to practice your target language, especially practicing listening to multiple speakers at the same time. So what’s a Spanish learner to do? Check out one of these 7 fantastic Spanish-language LGBTQIA+ films for a pride-filled language learning adventure!

1. Fuera de Carta (Spain 2008)

Fuera de Carta (Chef’s Special— literally ‘outside of the menu’) is a comedy about a chef who is running a busy restaurant. Disruptions to his already hectic life come to him in the form of being reunited with his estranged children, a new same-sex romantic interest, and the Michelin Guide food critic is coming to review his restaurant. Can he(name?) have it all? Watch on (streaming platform) to find out!

You can rent Fuera de Carta on Apple TV.

2. Joven y Alocada (Chile 2012)

Have you ever seen the show Awkward? Or perhaps Gossip Girl? Right in line with the late 2000s, early 2010s “Precocious Blogger” aesthetic, Joven y Alocada (Young and Wild) follows (name), a typical Chilean teenager who expounds the details of her personal life on a blog with an audience of zero. As her life becomes tangled in bisexual romance and religious conservatism, her blog gains notoriety as the hottest webpage in town. In addition to being heartwarming and funny, this juicy coming-of-age story is based on a real blog!

    You can rent Joven y Alocada on YouTube and Google Play.

3. Plata Quemada (Spain 2001)

Plata Quemada (Burnt Money) isn’t your classic queer romance flick. It’s no Brokeback Mountain, and it certainly isn’t Call Me By Your Name. This film is a gay Bonnie and Clyde. The story’s got action, crime, and romantic passion and it’s not afraid to play with your favorite movie trops along the way. 

    You can watch Plata Quemada on Amazon Prime Video.

4. Viva (Ireland): 

Although its director is Irish (Paddy Breathnach), Viva is a Spanish-language film. The drama centers on Jesus (Héctor Medina), a young gay Cuban man who dreams of becoming a drag queen. These dreams are put on hold when Jesus’s estranged father (name) returns. Throughout the movie, our protagonist must make a painful choice between living his truth and being with his family. 

You can rent Viva on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube.

5. Contracorriente

Contracorriente (Undertow) is a film that follows Miguel as he sneaks around his small Peruvian fishing village to be with his secret lover Santiago. Without giving too much away, the film quickly takes a turn and weaves a coming out narrative into a story about ghosts and the rumor mill that is inevitable in small-town life

You can rent Contracorriente on Apple TV.

6. Todo Sobre Mi Madre (Spain 1999)

¡Penelope Cruz Alert! Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother) is a complex trans-positive story that was ahead of its time. The film follows Manuela as she travels from Madrid to Barcelona after the death of her son Esteban in search of Lola, her son’s biological father. Manuela reunites with her self-actualized and transitioned ex-lover as she learns about an entire new world of queer Spaniards.

You can watch Todo Sobre Mi Madre on Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.

7. Elisa y Marcela

This film is based on the true story of the first gay marriage in Spain. Taking place in 1901, the film follows Elisa and Marcela as they try to get their love solidified under the power of Holy Matrimony. While Elisa y Marcela hasn’t received the best reviews from critics, it is still an in depth look at some of the events surrounding the notorious marriage and provides a great way to practice your Spanish.

You can watch Elisa y Marcela on Netflix.

8. Bonus: Gun Hill Road

While this film isn’t in Spanish, it is a fantastic glimpse into Bronx Latinx life. The film follows Enrique as he adjusts back to life after prison and living with his trans daughter, Vanessa. Its storyline has been critiqued as being a touch cliche at times, but the film is praised for providing a slice of life on what it’s like to live in the Bronx, using Vanessa to shed light on the experiences of trans women of color. 

You can rent Gun Hill Road on Amazon Prime Video.

Some Spanish Vocab to Help You Talk About Movies

La película - Film

El cine - Movie theater (Also “film” informally in the US)

El argumento - Plot

El personaje - Character

El escenario - Setting

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Thanks for Reading!

Have any other LGBTQIA+ Spanish-Language films that you love? Comment their names below!

Thumbnail photo by Photo by Corina Rainer

Two Latin American Board Games That Will Bring Out Your Competitive Side

Board games, or juegos de mesa, are a great way to put down your electronic devices and connect with your friends and family. They’re also a great way to supercharge your Spanish learning with new vocabulary (and are also just way more fun than flashcards). Read on to discover two popular board games from Latin America.

Lotería 

Besides getting to know a cultural touchstone of Mexico, playing Lotería, or lottery, is awesome for your Spanish. Hailing originally from Italy, Lotería is a traditionally Mexican board game that is essentially Bingo. Instead of having a grid of letters and numbers, though, you receive a tabla, or board, filled with beautiful tarot card-esque illustrations. The way to win is determined at the beginning of each round, with a winning pattern chosen from a deck of cards. After a pattern is dealt, the game is on. El cantor, the caller, selects winning tiles from a different shuffled deck of cards. Each card includes an illustration, its name, and a short phrase describing the tile. El cantor reads out the card’s name and phrase, and people who have that tile place a frijole, a bean, on its respective spot on their boards. Once a player has filled out the pattern on their tabla, it’s time to shout ¡Lotería!

A Lotería tabla and deck of cards. (Photo by irvin Macfarland)

What’s so great about Lotería is that the sentences on the back of each card make it a fantastic way to learn some new vocab. Each sentence is tailor made to highlight the meaning of the name in the card, so most other words in the sentence have a high association to the card’s name. In this sense, you’re almost learning an entire tiny vocabulary unit as you listen to the cantor read out a card’s verse. 

“El que le cantó a San Pedro no le volverá a cantar.”

“The one that sang for St. Peter will never sing for him again.”

“Al otro lado del río tengo mi banco de arena, donde se sienta mi chata pico de garza morena.”

“At the other side of the river I have my sand bank, where sits my darling short one, with the beak of a dark heron.”

“Tu me traes a puros brincos, como pájaro en la rama.”

“You have me hopping here and there, like a bird on a branch.”

Lotería is huge all throughout Latin America, and has a dedicated fan base. Back in late 2019, Google released a Google Doodle celebrating it. Check it out and try playing a virtual version! One of the big draws for Lotería’s continued adoration is because of its captivating illustrations. In fact, one way that fans express their love for Lotería is through t-shirts featuring its tiles. Lotería combines simple and exciting gameplay with artful design and language to create a memorable experience every time you pick up a new tabla.

Estanciero

If your idea of fun is raking in the dough, you’ll probably enjoy Estanciero, Spanish for the word “rancher.” Drawing heavily from Monopoly, this Argentinian board game swaps the goal of being a real estate mogul for the more pastoral dream job of a cow herding kingpin. The game invokes Argentina’s history as a world class cattle hotspot. Estanciero’s biggest innovation to the Monopoly-style game mechanism is a rest spot where you can hide from ever-growing farming fees. 

In the video below, you can see that the game looks a ton like Monopoly, except for the hexagonal shape of the board. What’s nice about the similarities between the two games is that you won’t have much trouble figuring out which Spanish words correspond to their English counterparts. 

Get Some Friends and Play!

There are tons of other Spanish-language board games out there, but these two have gameplay similar to ones that you and your friends are probably already familiar with. This way, you can skip right past the rules and into the game. Be sure to try speaking Spanish as you play, and maybe modify the rules to include bonus points for using certain tenses and negative points for speaking in English.

What’s your favorite board game? Be sure to comment below, and share this post with a friend.

(Thumbnail photo by Photo by Lat Lon).

A Puerto Rican Celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month in NYC

by Besanya Santiago

National Hispanic Heritage month has arrived! We all know what means, right? Well, if you’ve lived anywhere near us, you should already know this. But let me just say it for my people in the back: NOT EVEN COVID-19 WILL STOP US FROM CELEBRATING ALL MONTH LONG. Punto y se acabó! This is the time to communicate with each other in a way we never have before. The New York City local community needs our support now more than ever. We may not be able to be there physically but we can still be there. Aaaaaand, might I add, we can be there in the comfort of our own home, wearing our pajamas, fuzzy slippers, hair going sixteen different directions with a piña colada in hand and a margarita in queue. I don’t even drink and that sounds fabulous. Vamos allá.

So, what is National Hispanic Heritage Month? A month long celebration in the United States, this is a time period where we honor the cultures and contributions made by Latin Americans throughout the country. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this legislation put forward by Los Angeles Representative Edward R. Roybal. Originally, it was Hispanic Heritage Week but, lets be real, have you met us? Our birthdays alone last an entire month. One week was not enough time to properly pay homage to the list of accomplishments Latin Americans have made. Therefore, in 1988 new legislation was introduced to extend the week into a month from September 15 to October 15. The date was chosen for being the independence day anniversary of five Latin American countries: Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala. And thanks to George H. W. Bush, as of 1989 we have an entire month paying tribute to those who deserve it most. Albeit Puerto Rico’s political status remains undetermined, this should not diminish the numerous contributions Puerto Ricans have made in this country. From independence advocate Ramón Emeterio Betances to Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Puerto Ricans have traveled far to get to where we are today. And yes, there is still progress to be made. But for now, lets take a pause to reflect, recognize and celebrate the accomplishment of some pretty inspiring Boricuas. And don’t forget that piña colada.

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Take A Salsa Class

Although salsa music didn’t technically originate in Puerto Rico, it is an immense part of the culture. The roots of salsa came from Eastern Cuba from the Cuban Son as well as Afro-Cuban dance. During the 1950s, it traveled to New York City where it continued to develop within the Puerto Rican community. So, if there is one thing New York City is not short of, it is salsa dance classes. Founded by dancer and choreographer Tina Ramirez, the Ballet Hispánico is a dance company representative of Hispanic culture in the United States. They perform all over the world while offering a variety of dance classes for ages 3+ that are now available online. Salsa Tuesdays is just one of the many awesome virtual dance courses on the schedule.

Upcoming Events: Wepa Wednesday performances feat. Bombazo Dance Company

Learn To Cook Mofongo

A must try staple of Puerto Rican cuisine, Mofongo is even better when made at home. And if you have dietary restrictions, this is a simple way to fearlessly enjoy a new culinary culture by substituting ingredients as you see fit. Two exceptional channels are Sweets and Beyond and Cooking Con Omi for teaching Puerto Rican recipes. They’re also a useful tool for Spanish learners to get an additional benefit by learning to cook a new recipe while mastering new vocabulary without even realizing it. One of the most popular videos? Making mofongo. And let me just go ahead and co-sign that the recipe is on point.

Local Restaurants for Mofongo: Casa Adela and The Freakin’ Rican Restaurant

Pick up a Book

Literature may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Puerto Rico but it’s actually about as old as the country itself. It was officially born in 1843 when a book of short stories and poetry named El Aguinaldo Puertorriqueño was published by a group of young authors. Since then, many incredible writers such as Eugenio Maria de Hostos, Lola Rodriguez and Julia de Burgos continued to shape the foundations of Puerto Rico’s literary movement, making it what it is today. A few must-read contemporary books include When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago, War Against All Puerto Ricans by Nelson Denis and We Fed An Island by José Andrés.

Local Bookstores: Mil Mundos Books, Cafe Con Libros and Libreria Barco de PapelMil Mundos Books

Watch Musical Performances

The Hostos Center for Arts and Culture has been an integral part of the artistic community since 1982. Part of the CUNY network, it was the first college named after a Puerto Rican (yep, the same Eugenio Maria de Hostos previously mentioned here). They are a name well worth knowing as they are constantly giving the Latin American community a voice. Another great organization is The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater. Founded by iconic Puerto Rican actress Miriam Colón, their main focus is to exhibit works that promote cultural awareness, all while opening up artistic opportunities to those within their own community. And luckily for us, both institutions have made all their performances available online.

Upcoming Events: BomPlenazo 2020 and The Greater Good Theater Festival

Listen To Podcasts

Living in New York City, listening to podcasts is an an essential part of any commute. And as much we just love the eclectic variety of live performances on the metro, sometimes we could use a change of scenery. Podcasts are an ideal way to learn about Latin American culture in addition to keeping up with current events. Latino USA produced by NPR and hosted by Maria Hinojosa is popular due to its cross cultural nature in discussing political and social topics. Up for a language challenge? Directly from Puerto Rico, Siempre es Lunes is a fun, light hearted podcast that will submerge you headfirst into the Puerto Rican dialect. If you’re simply looking to have a good laugh, check out Latinos Out Loud and Bodega Boys.

Noteworthy Episodes: Bobby Sanabria Reimagines West Side Story and Death of a Blood Sport

Lose Yourself in Art

A classic New York City institution, El Museo del Barrio specializes in Latin American and Caribbean Art with a strong emphasis on Puerto Rican culture. They offer a vast collection of film, literary, visual arts as well as a performing arts series and educational programs. While their in-person collection is somewhat limited at the moment, they are also showcasing virtual exhibitions on their website. Furthermore, the museum has also teamed up with various local organizations to provide performances, workshops and discussions online and throughout the city.

Current Exhibitions: El Taller Boricua: A Political Print Shop in New York City and Popular Painters & Other Visionaries

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Looking for more ways to support the local community? Consider making a donation to any of these awesome organizations. You can find information on how you can contribute directly on their websites. Life is, without a doubt, still pretty tough in communities across the world. But it’s important to acknowledge that we’ve been transported to this rare window of time where we can actually connect with humans we never would have connected with otherwise. So, lets take advantage of this by raising our glasses and celebrating our differences. Because without them, this would be a reeeeeaaally boring world to live in. Salud!

About the Author

Besanya Santiago (IG: @besanyasantiago) is an actress, writer and musician based in New York City. She is best known for her work on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, studying language and traveling the world.

Check out more of her work at https://besanyasantiago.com/

(Thumbnail photo by by Lena Eriksson)

Posesiones and the Importance of Pronouns

A look at Sebastián Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman

By JP Linguistics

Sebastían Lelio is a Chilean director known for directing films such as Gloria, Disobedience, and A Fantastic Woman. Each film is a carefully meticulous character study of the societal mistreatment towards women. In Sebastían Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman, the way one addresses another holds significant and lasting weight.

In Lelio’s work, there are always outsiders encroaching onto the female protagonists as they themselves are battling through internal conflicts. In A Fantastic Woman, Marina, played by Chilean trans actress Daniela Vega, is a talented singer who has reached the honeymoon stage in her relationship with Orlando. Nights dancing. Birthday dinners. Spontaneous road trips. Ultimate bliss. All this shifts when her lover, Orlando, who is significantly older, begins to feel sick in the middle of the night. As they rush to the hospital, it’s too late – He’s gone. However, Marina cannot mourn her partner’s loss, as her lover’s family decides that her presence is an offense to them.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic

For Marina, all she wants is to be at her lover’s funeral, but outside elements prevent it from being possible. In the hospital, as she is suffocating under the shock of losing Orlando, a police officer asks to see her I.D. Despite presenting herself as Marina, he insists that her card says otherwise. As he begins to question her, he uses gendered words towards her such as, ‘lo’ and ‘el.’ The doctor barely acknowledges her, and Orlando’s brother is scared to approach her. Lelio makes it a key point that any character that is in direct conflict with Marina undermines her by using the language as their weapon. 

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic

Newly settled in at Orlando’s apartment, Marina is startled by an uninvited intrusion from Orlando’s son, Bruno. Bruno purposely calls her ‘Marisa’ as he barges in to claim both the apartment and Orlando’s dog, Diabla. As Marina tries to explain that Orlando gave Diabla to her, Bruno doesn’t attempt to correct himself. He spews hateful insults towards her and continues to call her ‘Marisa.’ Marina, played by Chilean trans actress Daniela Vega, stands her ground. Using language as her weapon, Marina claims her name and prepares to fight. She corrects him one last time as a slamming door is met to his face. Names and pronouns become the battleground in this film.

Recognizing the power of language, Marina comes prepared when she has to hand over Orlando’s car to his ex-wife, Sonia. Each time Marina addresses Sonia, she uses usted, a second person pronoun, as a sign of respect and formality. Sonia tells Marina to ‘drop’ the usted, in her attempt to make the conversation light. The conversation, however, is saturated with thick hatred as Sonia forbids her from attending Orlando’s funeral. 

Confronted in a cold office lobby, this scene creates a disturbing twist in the use of gendered language. The grammatical gender in Spanish has words that are either masculine or feminine. Many nouns endings in –a are treated as feminine, while words ending in –o are masculine. When conjugating, the grammatical gender la is associated as feminine, while el is masculine. For native speakers, it has always been second nature to conjugate according to someone’s gender identity. In the movie, Marina promises to be discreet at the funeral, but Sonia doesn’t care. As Sonia addresses Marina with feminine pronouns to explain to Marina that as a mother, she has to protect her children. She offends Marina further by promising to compensate her financially for all that she’s done. Marina doesn’t understand how she can prevent her from saying goodbye to someone she loved. This outrages Sonia and her language changes as she uses Marina’s dead-name to drive home the fact that Marina is not welcome at the funeral.  A dead-name is the name before she/he/they have transitioned. Marina, fazed yet strong, continues to address Sonia with usted. Even if Sonia can’t respect Marina, Marina will never stoop to her level.

Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classic

Things proceed to get more complicated as Marina returns to Orlando’s apartment to find that Bruno has taken Diabla. His hateful words have turned into impermissible actions. Marina becomes outraged. The film spirals as Marina is wrongfully investigated by the police as she tries to find the whereabouts of both Diabla and Orlando’s funeral. Forget Sonia, it’s Bruno who becomes her ultimate tormentor as she seeks moments of solace in the arms of her sister or by the piano of her voice teacher’s apartment. For that’s one thing that’s been robbed from her – time to mourn her partner’s death. She still sees him everywhere she turns, waiting for her to say her final goodbye. 

Despite these heavy moments of sorrow, Lelio finds time to showcase Marina’s beauty. There are glorious glimpses of Marina dancing in a shimmering coat in a neon-lit club. Marina being pushed against a gust of wind as she falls forward, not backwards. Marina staring at her body with absolute love and adoration. And a final glimpse of Marina, on stage, using the thing that matters the most to her – her voice. 

Watch It For Yourself!

A Fantastic Woman is a great demonstration of how pronouns can be used and abused to greater extents than one may learn in a classroom. A Fantastic Woman can be purchased online across multiple streaming platforms.

Peru: A Great Place To Practice More Than Just Spanish

by Brian Alcamo

A trip to Peru is a chance to discover the wonders of the ancient Incas and take some time to hone your Spanish while doing it.

But what you might not realize is that a trip to the Andes is also a trip to a nation that takes pride in preserving its precolonial linguistic roots. Many Peruvians speak more than one language natively. 13% of Peruvians speak Quechua, which is an impressive feat when you consider the centuries of colonialism that have wiped out countless other indigenous languages (thanks a lot, Francisco Pizarro). The range of Peruvian Quechua speakers runs from 4 million fluent native speakers to 10 million “familiar” ones. You might already be a little familiar with Quechua yourself. Some English words derived from Quechua include condor, guano, jerky, puma, quinoa, quinine, and llama.

“Quechua” in its own language is runa simi, or “the people’s tongue.” It was made an official language in Peru in 1975, and is also spoken in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Ecuador. It’s technically not one language, but the name of a language family. This distinction means that there are multiple types of Quechuas. This collection of almost 50 languages is typically divided into two types: Type I (Central) and Type 2 (Periphery). A breakdown of all of the types of Quechua can be found here.

The geographic distribution of the two Quechua types.

Unfortunately, the relationship between Spanish and Quechua is not always equal, with Quechua still falling victim to elitism found in Peru’s Spanish-speaking spheres. Quechua speakers are more likely to live in poverty, with 60% of Peru’s poor speaking the language at home. Although Quechua is now being taught in many schools, many of its own native speakers cannot read or write. This highlights a complicated educational and class division between those hoping to preserve and propagate the language, and those who already know how to speak it. Older Quechua speakers are also much more likely to be monolingual, which limits their access to much of Peruvian society.

There is hope for bridging this divide, with innovative education solutions coming for Quechua speakers. One such innovation is this talking robot, designed to speak Quechua and help continue the education of its younger native speakers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The robot, whose name is Kipi, is made from upcycled materials and hikes into the Andes to bridge a “digital divide” between Andean Peruvians and the residents of metropolitan Lima.

Outside of the Andes, Quechua’s cultural caché is on the upswing. Many people fighting for the language’s visibility and promotion in both public life and academic circles. If you decide to take a Quechua class at your local university, the course will most likely follow a curriculum based on Cusco’s dialect. While this is just one of the almost 50 varieties of Quechua to learn, it’s pretty cool to say that you study the language of the Inca civilization’s ancient capital.

How To Learn It

There aren’t too many online resources for learning Quechua. That being said, you can learn some basic Quechua on quechualanguage.com. You can also enroll in a local university course.

When you’re at a more advanced level, check out Rimasun. It’s a podcast produced by graduate students at NYU’s Center for Latin American Studies (CLACS) that interviews native Quechua-speaking New Yorkers. You can also watch clips from Peru’s Ñuqanchik broadcast to practice your listening skills and while listening to world events. 

Along with learning Spanish, a quick primer on Quechua will be a great way to enrich your journey. Whether or not you become 100% fluent, you’ll be able to better appreciate the foundations of a great South American country.

Thanks for Reading!

Are you thinking of supplementing your Spanish with a little bit of Quechua? Comment your thoughts below, and be sure to give this blog a heart.

(Thumbnail photo by Theo Topolevsky)

The Sky is Falling! How to Talk About Weather in Spanish.

by Brian Alcamo

Despite this post’s title, falling skies are fortunately not a real weather forecast. That being said, talking about the weather is something we all do so often. Be it part of your small-talk with a cashier, your small-talk with your neighbor, or your small-talk with an estranged relative, weather plays a crucial role in how we see and discuss the world around us. 

Weather shapes how we plan our days, weeks, months and years. It’s one of the first things we check on our phones to help us figure out how to spend our free time, and is a major factor in deciding when to take a much-needed quarantine walk. It’s also becoming a big source of discussion as climate change continues to accelerate, especially in the tropical Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America.

Missed our Instagram Live where we go over Describing the Weather in Spanish? No worries! Check it out on our IGTV with Isabel.

Photo by yue su on Unsplash

How to Talk About the Weather in Spanish

In Spanish, there are technically two words for weather: el clima and el tiempo. More formally, el clima means “climate,” but over time, its usage has shifted to include everyday weather. You may have learned to talk about the weather using the question “¿Que tiempo hace hoy?” Unfortunately, what the textbooks don’t tell you is that that sentence formation isn’t all that common among native Spanish speakers. So when would you use word el tiempo? Mostly in a longer phrase such as el pronóstico del tiempo or “weather forecast.”

More typically, you’re going to ask either ¿Cómo está el clima? (How’s the weather now?) or  ¿Cómo es el clima? (What’s the weather like in general?).

Here are some responses you may get to the question ¿Como está el clima?

• Está soleado / Está bonito (It’s sunny/It’s nice)

• Está haciendo (mucho) calor (It’s hot today)

• ¡Qué calor! ¡Qué solazo! (it’s so hot! The sun is too strong!)

• Está lloviendo / Va a llover (It’s raining/It’s going to rain)

• Está lloviznando (It’s drizzling)

• Está nublado (It’s overcast/cloudy)

  When someone asks you ¿Como es el clima? you can answer with one of these phrases:

• Es caliente. (It’s always hot)

• Es frío. (It’s always cold)

• Es templado (It’s always mild weather)

  Want to describe a weather phenomenon beyond the base terms like “sunny” and “rainy?” Here are a few words that can be used to describe what’s going on in the sky: 

• Escampar (V: rain that is diminishing in strength, rain that is scattering)

• Lloviznar (V: drizzling, lightly raining)

• Una tormenta (A storm)

• Relámpago (Lighting)

The Forecast (El Pronóstico)

via GIPHY

Weather not only influences how we discuss the present moment. It also helps us plan our future activities. When you want to discuss what the weather will be like in the future, you typically use the future tense. For example: está lloviendo changes to va a llover in conversations. You will sometimes hear the simple future used on the news (lloverá) since it’s a touch more formal.

Knowing el pronóstico helps you figure out what to wear. Here are a few words that will be ever-important depending on what Mother Nature is bringing your way:

• Impermeable (o poncho) (Raincoat)

• Botas de lluvia (Rainboots)

• Lentes o gafas de sol (Sunglasses)

• Protector solar (Sunscreen)

• Paraguas (Umbrella)

• Gorro de invierno (Winter hat)

• Botas de nieve (Snow boots)

Bonus Points: Idiomatic Expressions(Expresiones Idiomáticas)

There are many idiomatic expressions that have to do with the weather. “It’s raining cats and dogs?” they have a saying for that. It’s “un palo de agua.” This term is used most frequently in the countries of South America. Another word that means the same thing is is aguacero. 

Used in a sentence, the phrase functions as follows: Cayó un palo de agua o Cayó un aguacero  (It was pouring rain)

• A brainstorm? More like: “lluvia de ideas”

  “Si así llueve, que no escampe” (If it rains like this, don’t let it slow.)

  This phrase refers to a time of good luck and good things coming to one’s life and the hope that this lucky time won’t end.

“No hay nada nuevo bajo el sol” (There's nothing new under the sun.)

It refers to the idea that everything has already been said or invented.

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That’s It!

Learning to talk about the weather the right way is a key part of becoming fluent in Spanish. Being able to strike up a conversation about the weather is both a cliché and a necessity. The next time you’re asking about the weather in Spanish, make sure to abandon the textbook-style ¿Que tiempo hace? in favor of the more-native ¿Como está el clima? You’ll be sure to impress your conversation partner.

If you’re looking to read up on climate change news in Spanish, check out http://calentamientoglobal.org/.

Be sure to give this post a “heart,” share with your friends, and discuss your favorite type of weather down in the comments below! ¡Hasta pronto!

(Thumbnail photo by Wim van 't Einde on Unsplash)

The Puerto Rican Dialect: An essential guide to sounding like a Boricua

by Besanya Santiago

Ahhh, Puerto Rico. La Isla del Encanto. The quintessential getaway for any person seeking an enchanting paradise to escape from their day-to-day routine. An island where, even when it’s raining, the sun still radiates through the smiles of its local people. The warmth is palpable in the way the island embraces you the moment you set foot onto it. In every woman, you will find your abuela, your mami, your hermana and titi. And as a Spanish learner, this is the perfect place to arrive, listen to the local language and say to yourself: WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST SAY?

Yeeeaaa, I know. Latinos usually agree that the Spanish from Puerto Rico is one of the most challenging dialects to understand. Some time ago, I met a woman from Argentina who said to me: “When Puerto Ricans speak Spanish, they sound like they’re rapping a Reggaeton song during the entire conversation.” She’s not wrong. We speak insanely fast and use slang in every other sentence. Additionally, there are certain words that are more or less the same in other countries but drastically different in Puerto Rico.

Ay dios mio…

Puerto Rico was originally named Borikén, a Taíno word translated as “land of the brave people.” The Taínos are an indigenous people who have lived on the island since prior to Spain’s colonization. When Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493, it was renamed to Puerto Rico, meaning “rich port”. This was due to its abundance of natural resources in addition to having generous amounts of gold nuggets in its rivers. Today, Puerto Ricans refer to themselves as Boricuas in order to illustrate recognition of their Taíno heritage. The dialect is a mix of the Taíno, Spanish and English language with African pronunciations, making it truly distinctive. Locals will be tremendously impressed if you manage to include some Puerto Rican slang into your Spanish. Lets explore this dialect further and get you sounding like a true Boricua.

Nuestro acento

It’s important to mention that accents always vary by region. These language tendencies will not apply to everyone. Some may not use any of them. However, these are the most recognizable characteristics of the Puerto Rican dialect. I just wanted to make that clear to avoid getting bulldozed by a fellow compatriot: “OYE PERO YO NO HABLO ASI!!!!! “

Love you, mi gente. Vamos allá.

The letter “R”

We’re constantly made fun of for this one. We roll our R’s only sometimes. More often than not, the R is pronounced as an L. Puerta is Puelta. Porque is Polque. Verde is Velde. However, this is not the case if the R is at the beginning of a word. Puerto Rico would be pronounced Puelto Rico. In certain regions, the R is never rolled. Instead the guttural R is used, which sounds identical to the R in French.

The letter “D”

Almost non-existent in word endings. We don’t say cerrado. We say cerrao. Pegado is pegao. However, if there is another D in the same word, it is still pronounced. Confundido would be confundio.

The letter “S”

Frankly, I don’t even know why we include this one in our alphabet. Again, almost non-existent and sounds like an H. Cómo estás turns into cómo ehtah. Pescar is Pehcal (don’t forget to make that R an L!) and mezclar is mehclal. The letter Z functions exactly like the S.

Word endings

These tend to be chopped off. The word para is actually pa. Therefore, para nada becomes pa’ na’ and para que becomes pa’ que. It also occurs in feminine words that would ordinarily drop the letter D. For instance, cerrado becomes cerrao but when speaking about a feminine object, it then becomes cerra. So now you can say: La puelta ehta cerra.

Nuestro Dialecto

Slang words are used quite often in Puerto Rico. Try to incorporate some of these fun expressions into your everyday Spanish to truly immerse yourself in the dialect.

“Ay Bendito!”
You cannot leave Puerto Rico without hearing this one. It’s used to express pity, shock, anger and sometimes even sarcasm. Similar to the expression “oh my gosh.”

Example: Ay bendito, pero que te pasó? / Oh my goodness, what happened to you?

“Janguear”
One of the most well-known examples of Spanglish meaning “to hang out.”

Example: Vamos a janguear esta noche? / Are we hanging out tonight?

“Wepa”
This is as Boricua as it gets. You don’t say it. You yell it. It demonstrates pride and joy, particularly in situations where people are feeling patriotic. Which for us is ALL. THE. TIME.

Example: Ricky renunció!!! Weeeeeeeeepaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! / Ricky (Rosselló) quit! YAAAASSSSSS!!!!

“Revolú”
Used to describe loud commotions and disorder. An absolute racket.

Example: Oístes el revolú que hubo anoche? / Did you hear that racket last night?

“Brutal”
A compliment used to describe something that is beyond incredible. It has the same strength as the word “brutal” in English but for something good. And there’s a lot of intensity behind it when spoken.

Example: Nena, el pelo te quedó brutal! / Girl, your hair turned out incredible!

“Pichear”
To forget or ignore something in the maximum way possible. “Ghosting” is probably the most accurate description.

Example: Antes tu me pichabas, ahora yo picheo…. #badbunnyforever / Before you ignored me, now I ignore you…

“Al garete”
Something that is disorganized, out of control or a complete mess. In a more literal sense, it means “without a given path.”

Example: No pongas las manzanas así al garete. / Don’t place the apples like that, all disorganized.

“Bochiche”
Gossip. A person who gossips constantly is called a Bochinchero(a).

Example: Esa madre tuya es una bochinchera. / Your mother is such a gossip.

“Fó”
There is no translation for this. It’s what you say when you smell something awful or see someone doing something gross. Usually preceded by an ay.

Example: Ay, fó! Limpiáte esos pies que apestan! / Ew! Clean your feet, they stink!

“Corillo”
A large group of people or friends. Simply put: your people.

Example: Dile al corillo que vamos pa’ la playa! / Tell the crew we’re going to the beach!

“Pana”
A very close friend. Someone who is a partner-in-crime and you trust completely. Not to be confused with the delicious breadfruit in Puerto Rico also called Pana (even though I would trust that Pana with my life, too.)

Example: Manuel, mi pana, como estamos? / Manuel, my friend, how we doing?

“Perreo / Perrear”

The Boricua way to dance and party. And party hard. And usually to Reggaeton music.

Example: Prepárate que esta noche nos vamos de perreo! / Get ready, tonight we’re gonna party it up!

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Now it’s your turn!

Try them out! And don’t worry if you can’t make it all the way to Puerto Rico. We are everywhere and are especially known for being warm, social beings. So, grab your corillo and head to the nearest discoteca for a long night of perreo. Order some piña coladas and engage is some real life Puerto Rican bochinche. By the end of the night, you’re sure to be officially recognized as a Boricua de corazón. WEPA!

About the Author

Besanya Santiago Ayala (IG: @besanyasantiago) is an actress, world traveler and writer based in New York City. She is best known for her work on the Netflix series Orange is the New Black. As a multilinguist, she enjoys helping others achieve an extensive understanding of language and culture. Originally from Puerto Rico, her aim is to bring an authentic perspective about Caribbean life to people from all over the world. Check out her website, www.besanyasantiago.com.

Thumbnail photo by Ernesto Tapia on Unsplash.

The Basics of Salsa Dancing

by Brian Alcamo

Salsa! It’s a dance, it’s a sauce, it’s a saucy dance! But where did this popular dance come from, and how did it become a global phenomenon? Let’s investigate.

Origins of Salsa

The claim to salsa is contentious! The origins of the dance are hard to pin down, and many cultures vye to take pride in being its sole creator. However, we can say that salsa has many roots in the traditional Cuban dances of casino, mambo, and pachango, and mixes American jazz styles in as well. The style was brought to popularity in the US by Puerto Rican New Yorkers (or Nuyoricans). As for who started the style de verdad, that’s not our call to make. Art is collaborative, okay? Let’s just agree that it’s a super popular, iconic dance that evokes the music and dance of many Latin American cultures.

What we can say about Salsa’s origins is that it got its name from The Fania record label, the leading salsa music label of the 1960s, which described Salsa music as such because it was a blend of all of the different Latin music styles colliding in New York City. Salsa music, like the sauce, is a blend of multiple ingredients that are great on their own, and even better when brought together.

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Styles of Salsa

Not only are there so many origin stories for salsa, there are also so many different types of salsa. That’s because it’s become a bit of an umbrella-term due to geographical variation. 

Linear Styles: These styles feature the dancers always facing each other.

New York Style

Sometimes inaccurately referred to as Mambo, New York Style is identified through its “On 2” pattern. “On 2” means that the dancers move their legs forward and backward on the second beat. 

Los Angeles Style

Contrary to most stereotypes about the differences between New York and LA, Los Angeles Salsa is characterized by its speed. It’s performed much faster than New York Salsa, and is danced “On 1.” LA Salsa also has more of a Swing infusion in its music and dance. 

Puerto Rican Style

Puerto Rican style is similar to the New York style, but you can break On 1 or On 2 in this style. Puerto Rican salsa is thought to be the origin of “shines,” wherein you can have some solo time to show off your stuff.

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Circular Styles: These styles feature the dance partners circling around each other. 

Colombian Style Salsa (also known as Cumbia)

Originating in Cali, Colombia (the self-purported Salsa Capital of the World) Cumbia salsa is identified by a rigid upper body. 

Cuban Style

Cuban salsa is identified by complex arm movements. Compared to other styles, the footwork is rather simple. 

Miami Style (also known as Clasico Cubano or Casino)

Miami style is even more intricate than Cuba style, including what dance.us calls “cross body lead variations.”

Casino Rueda or Salsa Rueda

Originating in Havana, Casino Rueda is a group version of salsa where a person calls out to a group which moves to make. It originated in Havana, and the name Salsa Rueda directly translates to Salsa wheel.

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Here’s some Spanish vocab you’ll need to
use when tackling your salsa dancing.

• Claves - dowel-like instruments that are crucial for setting salsa’s rhythm

• Izquierda - left (in salsa, this means “step left”)

• Derecha - right (“step right”)

• Lento - slow

• Rápido - fast

• Freno - brake or stop

• Compás - the beat (of the music!)

• Al costado - move sideways

• Adelante - move forward

• Patada - kick

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Ready to Salsa on Your Own?

Here are a few basic steps for New York Style Salsa:

1. Feel the rhythm: Since New York style Salsa is counted “On 2,” you’re going to want to get a feel for the beat of the music. Count 1, 2, 3 - 5, 6, 7 - 

2. Get into position: The Lead, will take the Follower’s right hand with their left and put their right hand on their back. The Follower places her left hand on the Lead’s shoulder. 

3. Start Dancin’: Take a small step forward with your right foot on the first beat (1)

4. A bigger step: This part is called “Breaking Forward,” and in New York Style Salsa, you break forward by taking a large step with the left foot on the second beat (2). So, do that.

5. Keep going: Rock back on your right foot on three (3), and then hold for a beat (4). 

6. Moving back now: Step back with your left foot on five (5).

7. Breaking Back: Break back (a big step) with your right foot on six (6). 

8. Shift weight: Shift your weight onto your left foot on beat seven (7) and hold for a beat (8)

9. Repeat (See Step 3): Step your right foot forward again on one.

   And that’s it! We will admit that reading about salsa is a lot easier than dancing salsa, so get up on your feet and try it out!

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Practice the steps above with our
Salsa playlist on Spotify!

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Here are some idiomatic expressions from some of the songs in the playlist and discussed during the workshop:

pasar el Niágara en bicicleta (Dominican Rep) - to overcome a difficult situation 

estar muerto de la risa (Latinoamerica) - to crack up laughing/to laugh really hard. 

(olividar las) penas - (to forget your) sorrows

buscarle la salida a algo (ven) - to find the solution to a problem. 

pasársela (haciendo algo) - to be spend time doing something (usually something you enjoy). 

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Salsa is a beautiful dance that includes facets of so many different Latin American musical styles, and its variety is a key component of its popularity. What’s your favorite style of salsa dancing? Comment below and don’t forget to ‘heart’ this post and share with your friends. Ready to review what you’ve learned? Take our quick quiz!

Thumbnail Photo by sydney Rae on Unsplash

Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra

Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra

The roads of Pontevedra, Spain, once invaded by traffic and city squares, are now often filled with baby strollers and children playing. By restricting traffic and eliminating physical barriers, the city council has redesigned Pontevedra from the viewpoint of a child. 

This trend is reflected in the demographics of Pontevedra. The city has attracted young families from throughout Spain’s northwest region to settle in the city, even as Spain continues to struggle with declining birth rates.  Beginning in 2000, the population of children age 0 to 14 increased by 8% in Pontevedra and has continued to expand the pedestrian area from the center to the outskirts, liberating a total 669,000 square meters previously dominated by cars.

Car use in the inner city has dropped by 77%, and carbon emissions have dropped by 66%, according to the city council accompanied by a dropping crime rate (its lowest crime rate in a decade with 34 offenses per 1,000 citizens, and last year it reached a new low of 27).

Surprisingly, cars are not strictly banned inside the city. Residents with a private garage can bring their cars in, and traffic is open to delivery services, emergencies, and even to private drivers who need to stop by the center for a pick-up or drop-off.

“It is like building a nest,” said Carmen Fouces, Pontevedra’s culture councilor. “If you put some fluff and straws on a branch, a bird will soon make it its home.”

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how a Spanish city counsel is Bringing The Youth To Pontevedra! Ready to make your trip to the revitalized city? Our culturally immersive classes and native instructors are sure to put you on the path to fluency faster than you might think! Click below to learn more.

The Preservation of Video Games

Preserving media is an absolute necessity to understand the mentality and important issues in every generation. Whether it’s books or movies, each piece of media gives us a glimpse into the mind of the creators and their takes on society. This has now extended to one of the most popular forms of entertainment in the last few decades - video games.  

The National Library of Spain or BNE is dedicated to gathering Spain’s history and preserving it for years to come. Originally created three centuries ago, the National Library was to preserve printed pieces of Spanish history and culture and it has been vigilant in adapting to the new artistic ways of Spanish culture. Ana Santos, along with Javier Garcia Fernandez, proposed the:

“regulation of conservation of video games, web sites, electoral propaganda posters, and bookmarks, among other formats based on the reform of the Law on Legal Deposit of 2011” and that  “Video games will be of Cultural Interest (BIC) in the future, because they have a very important cultural value as an artistic creation.” 

This new proposal would allow the institution to adapt and conserve Spanish artistic pieces that may not have been on printed material. 

The Law of Legal Deposit in Spain was founded by Felipe V at the end of 1711 but the Library did not begin depositing pieces until 1712 and today houses almost half a million deposits.

Spanish director points out the need for reform of the law of 1985 to reflect the current reality of culture in Spain and has stressed the need for preserving Spain’s digital heritage as well as the printed. 

Let us know what you think this might bring for the future of gaming, historically for the future gamer generations. 

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The Preservation of Video Games! What effect do you think this might bring for the future of gaming? Join the conversation below!

Googling the Philippines' Independence Day

Googling the Philippines' Independence Day

With the Philippines turning 121 years old today as a nation, Google has flown the Filipino flag high.

Google’s reps have stated that “Google salutes the 121st Philippine Independence Day with a special doodle that features the Philippine flag.

On this day in 1898, the Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands in the western Pacific Ocean named after Spanish King Philip II, finally claimed its freedom after over 300 years of colonial rule from Spain,” it adds. 

Spanish was introduced in the islands after 1565, when the Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi set sail from Mexico and founded the first Spanish settlement on Cebú. Though its usage is not as widespread as before, Spanish has had a significant influence in the various local Philippine languages such as providing numerous loan wordsSpanish rule ended in 1898 with Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War. The Philippines then became a territory of the United States. . After the U.S. military overpowered the Japanese in 1945, the Treaty of Manila in 1946 established an independent Philippine Republic.

Google also continues to explain the symbolism behind the colors, stars, and eight rays of the sun on the Philippine flag.

“The Philippine flag itself is a powerful symbol of the independence movement, with each of its colors carrying a significant meaning: blue represents truth and justice, red symbolizes patriotism, and white stands for equality,” Google says.

“The three stars at the corner represent the three main regions of the Philippines – Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Meanwhile, the eight rays of the sun stand for the first eight provinces that went into battle against Spain."

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Googling the Philippines' Independence Day! Google has a long history of making impressive doodles for it’s search engine. Which is your favorite? Join the conversation below!

Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling

Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling

Ecuador’s government has reached a decision to allow same-sex marriage marking the 50th anniversary of the gay equality movement. 

 Five of nine judges in Ecuador’s top court on Wednesday ruled in favor of two gay couples who sued after their request to be married was denied by the country’s civil registry and is the 27th country to allow same-sex marriage with the move coming during the annual gay Pride month.

In 1998, Ecuador became one of the first countries in the world to constitutionally ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since 2008, civil unions with all of the rights of marriage (except for adoption) have been available to same-sex couples. Additionally, transgender people under the 2016 Gender Identity Law may change their legal gender solely based on self-determination, without undergoing surgery. Ecuador is also one of the few countries in the world to have banned conversion therapy.

“Whenever there’s progress, there’s always steps backwards,” said Neela Ghoshal, senior researcher in the LGBT rights program at Human Rights Watch.

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We hope that you enjoyed learning about Ecuador’s Marriage Equality Ruling! What are your thoughts on the progress concerning marriage equality in Ecuador? Join the conversation below!

Stifiling Rising Spanish Rent

Stifling Rising Spanish Rent

The effort by Spain’s Socialist government to control apartment rents is off to a rough start. Just 2 months after imposing rent-suppression measures, rents rose at a 7.5% annual pace 

The new rules for privately owned apartments in Spain were meant in part to counteract Airbnb-type rentals, but this isn’t a struggle just the Spanish are experiencing. In the United States, the government is struggling to remedy how to keep tenants from being priced out of their neighborhoods. Germany is going even further than Spain, with plans to freeze rents for 5 years and give tenants the opportunity to demand reductions.

In Spain, the new rules limit annual rent increases for five years to the inflation rate much to the distain of landlords, however after that period is over they can raise, or lower, them as they wish, in a new contract. 

“The big institutional investors are specialists, they’re opportunistic and will focus on where the outlook and conditions are most favorable,” said Joe Lovrics, who runs Citigroup Inc.’s Iberia markets desk in Madrid. “They look at these rules and say: ‘If this is permanent, we’ll look elsewhere.”’

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What are your thoughts on the measures the Spanish government is taking. Do you believe they will successfully keep the rent prices down? Join the conversation below!

Stolen Spanish Art

Stolen Spanish Art

After a lengthy legal battle, a California court has decided that Spanish museum can keep a painting titled “Rue Saint-Honoré, Après-midi, Effet de Pluie,” by Camille Pissarro that a German Jewish woman has stated that she was forced to sell the painting before fleeing the Nazis.

The federal court held that ownership was governed by Spanish law, which allows buyers to retain works they purchased if they did not possess “actual knowledge” the work had been stolen.

The original owner, Lilly Cassirer, had been forced to sell the painting to a Nazi art appraiser in 1939 for the equivalent of $360 which eventually made it’s way to the Madrid museum as part of the collection acquired by Spain from Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. In 1958, she received financial compensation from the German government for the loss of her painting. But as part of the settlement, she did not waive her right to seek its return.

In its ruling this week, the California court found that Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza paid “fair market value” when he acquired the Pissarro painting for $300,000 in 1976 but should have done more to take it’s connection to Nazi looting.

Overall, the court found, “there is no evidence that the baron made any inquiries regarding the painting’s provenance or conducted any investigation of the painting’s provenance before purchasing it.” The Pissarro painting has been on display in Madrid since 1992 and  now ranks among the most visited places in the Spanish capital.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the dispute over Stolen Spanish Art! Who do you believe is the rightful owner of “Rue Saint-Honoré, Après-midi, Effet de Pluie?” Join the conversation below!

Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches

Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches

Popular Spanish tourist beaches in Majorca and Ibiza may become no smoking zones from this summer if a new proposal from the Balearic Government goes into effect. 

The government is asking town councils across the islands to consider introducing a voluntary ban on smoking that would include every beach to safeguard the environment. Health officials have stated that tourists would benefit from smoke-free zones and it would help with the massive problem of cigarette butts which currently litter the sand and get washed out into the sea, harming wildlife.

Extremely drastic measures aren’t being taken regarding punishment as smokers will not be prosecuted under the new proposal. The government states that the idea is to promote a healthier lifestyle and avoid the risk of children accidentally swallowing cigarette butts while playing in sea or sand.

The government is asking town councils across the islands to consider introducing a voluntary ban on smoking that would include every beach to safeguard the environment. Health officials have stated that tourists would benefit from smoke-free zones and it would help with the massive problem of cigarette butts which currently litter the sand and get washed out into the sea, harming wildlife.

Extremely drastic measures aren’t being taken regarding punishment as smokers will not be prosecuted under the new proposal. The government states that the idea is to promote a healthier lifestyle and avoid the risk of children accidentally swallowing cigarette butts while playing in sea or sand.

Thailand has already provided a template for smokeless success – last year they banned cigarettes at 24 separate seaside beauty spots, and extended the laws further in the March. 

 According to 2018 figures collected by NGO Ocean Conservancy, roughly 60 million cigarette butts have been collected from the seas since the mid-Eighties, far outstripping the numbers of coffee cups or plastic straws.

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We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the Spanish government is Cleaning Up Spanish Beaches! Do you think this ban is going to help clean up the beaches / reduce the environmental impact of the tourist season? Join the conversation below!

The Spanish Search For Lost Ships

The Spanish Search For Lost Ships

This week, archaeologists Carlos León and Beatriz Domingo and naval historian Genoveva Enríquez have combed Spain’s archives and compiled a list of 681 Spanish ships lost off the coasts of multiple Latin American countries as well as Atlantic coast of the United States since 1492.

León has stated that the objective of the project, which is sponsored by Spain’s Culture Ministry, is to help identify and protect shipwreck sites, especially those that have been lost from memory. 
“The most famous ships have been investigated,” he said, “but there’s a huge number about which we know absolutely nothing.” The researchers found that more than 90 percent of the ships sank in severe weather, about four percent ran onto reefs or had navigational problems; one percent were sunk during naval engagements with the British, Dutch, or United States; and less than one percent were sunk during pirate attacks. 

A group of Spanish academics working with the country's culture ministry to produce the study also found that in many cases the ships were carrying pearls, emeralds, and gold.

The majority of the shipwrecks, a total of 249, were identified off the coast of Cuba; 153 on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along the US coast; 66 near Panama; and another 63 around Hispaniola, currently divided between Haiti and the Dominican Republic with nearly 80% of the hulls remaining to be explored.

The Spanish culture ministry said that rather than recovering valuables that may be in the shipwrecks, which would be a time-consuming and costly operation, the current aim of the research is to protect the shipwrecks from sackings or possible incidental damage, with the cooperation of the relevant countries. Each entry has a list of the ship type, the name of its captain, its armament, the number of crew members and passengers, as well as the cargo.

In addition to gold and precious stones, which conjure up images of the most famous pirate legends, many of the ships were also laden with Ming ceramics, tobacco, sugar, vanilla and cocoa, as well as slaves, artillery, books, and alleged relics from Jerusalem.

Fewer than 25 percent of these wrecks have been found to date, León added. The documents also revealed the ships headed toward the New World carried things like religious objects and stones for building churches; tons of mercury to extract gold and silver from New World ores; clothing for slaves; and weapons for putting down local rebellions. 

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What do you think may have been created had these ships completed their route? Join the conversation below!

The Most Fixed Sport in Europe

The Most Fixed Sport in Europe

Spanish authorities have arrested 15 people in connection with an international ring accused of fixing tennis matches which included the leaders of an Armenian gambling ring as well as 28 professional players. One of those even participated in last year’s U.S. Open. It may come as a surprise, but The European Sports Security Association, which tracks betting for bookmakers, has said tennis tops the list of sports linked to suspicious gambling.

As part of the crackdown, 11 houses were raided and police seized vehicles, firearms, credit cards, and 167,000 $191,000 in cash. Spanish player Marc Fornell-Mestres is accused of acting as the link between players and the Armenian ring that bribed them. No other names had been immediately disclosed by authorities.

This isn’t Mestres’ first run in with the law either. He was suspended from professional tennis last year, according to the Tennis Integrity Unit, which said the suspension related to an investigation into "alleged breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program."

Police said the organized group bribed the players to guarantee predetermined results, and used the identities of citizens to place international bets on the matches while members of the crime ring attended the matches to ensure the players complied with the fixes.

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