Bolivia – Fake Flamenco

bilingual, Chile, En español, history, Immigration, Spanish Culture and Language, The Americas

Who Was the Schindler of Bolivia?

A recently unearthed secret is that a tin baron in Bolivia paid for thousands of Jews’ transportation from Europe to South America during World War II. Although he saved the lives of 9000 to 22,000 Jews between 1938 and 1941, he was not generally known for his kindness. His reputation was solely as a harsh […]

archeology, Architecture, history, Indigenous Peoples, Spanish Culture and Language

Did Aliens Build Bolivian Monuments?

1400 years ago, the Huanka Civilization which flourished in the region that is present day Bolivia made incredible stone monuments. This was a pre-Inca society. For centuries, people have credited Aliens, Europeans or possibly Egyptians for their building feats. How could the Huanka move blocks weighing 1500 tons down from the mountain quarries above 3.9K […]

history, Spanish Culture and Language

11 Women’s Faces on National Currency

What does the color and content of currency say about a country? What are the symbols we hold most dear? Who are our heroes? If we look at the banknotes of the United States, we see former presidents; Washington and Jefferson and founders like Franklin and Hamilton. All male, all Caucasian, all long gone. By […]

Afro-Latinos, Argentina, Chile, food, Uruguay

7 Ways South American Christmas Differs

Happy Nochebuena, or Christmas Eve! As in Spain, Nochebuena in South America is celebrated with family and a midnight dinner feast. Catholic traditions, mixed with indigenous and African cultures, have created many South American Christmas traditions that differ from celebrations in other countries. 1) For example, Nativity scenes of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are more […]

Indigenous Peoples, Spanish Culture and Language

Paraguay’s 2 Official Languages

Paraguay is one of three countries in the Americas that name one or more indigenous languages as official, alongside Spanish. Interestingly, it is also the country where the most non-indigenous people are bilingual in an indigenous language, in this case Guaraní. Over 5 million people in Paraguay speak it. The 2012 census determined that 64% […]

history, Spanish Culture and Language

Where in Latin America is Voting Mandatory?

I thought this was an easy question I could find the answer to in an hour, or no more than an afternoon. A week later, I am humbled. I was confused with the range of answers. There were 14, 12, 13, 11 or 8 countries in Central and South America where citizens are required to […]