Venezuela – Fake Flamenco

bilingual, En español, Spanish Culture and Language, The Americas

Venezuela: Light Bulb Idea

In 2016, Venezuelan engineer Anderson Sandoval began working on repairing LED light bulb circuits to help people save money. What he discovered was the circuits were designed to run too hot to shorten the life of the bulb. Sandoval decided to change that. En 2016, el ingeniero venezolano Anderson Sandoval empezó a trabajar en reparaciones […]

Indigenous Peoples, Nature, photography

Rocky Mesa that Rhymes with Ratatouille

The sandstone mesas of Venezuela are called tepui. You may have seen images of them in the Pixar movie, Up (2009); a widower retiree attaches balloons to his house and floats from the United States to a tepui in Venezuela, where he’s always dreamed of traveling. We saw the movie for the first time this […]

Afro-Latinos, Argentina, Chile, Latinas in the News, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spanish Culture and Language, The Americas

Spanish & Portuguese on the Podium

Latin America and Spain have many top tier athletes this year at the 2020 Olympics. Talented men and women from the Caribbean and South America are proudly bringing home medals. Gold! Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela broke the world record for the triple jump, 15.67 meters = 51 feet! Country Bronze Silver Gold Argentina Rugby against […]

Humor, Spanish Culture and Language

April 1 and Day of the Holy Innocents

I’m happy to report that we have made it safely to Caracas! Tomorrow we’ll check out the botanical gardens, the Teleférico (aerial cable car) and the Museo Bolívar. We love Venezuelan food, we’ve tried it in Madison and we know this will be a tasty trip. It’s so amazing how we traveled the 2500 miles […]

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, history, Spanish Culture and Language

Who’s Venezuela’s Black Revolutionary War Hero?

In the war for independence from the Spanish, Simon Bolívar recruited a solider of African descent for his bravery and skill with the lance, Pedro Camejo. Camejo was born in San Juan de Payara, Venezuela, in 1790. He fought with the rebels beginning in 1818 and reached the rank of lieutenant. He met his untimely […]