Difficulty: Beginner
Colombia
New York has the Hudson; Paris has the Seine; London has the Thames. Rivers were important in the building of these cities: they were commercial routes and also a source of food. Aterciopelados (in English, literally “The Velvety Ones”) the well-known Colombian band, remind us of the importance of our rivers with the title song of their socially conscious album Río.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Colombia
The pouring rain doesn’t stop Aterciopelados from rocking the park in Bogotá. “Rock al parque” is probably the biggest open-air (free!) rock festival in Latin America, held annually in Colombia’s capital. Listen in as Aterciopelados sings out a tribute to this fun festival and to fellow bands performing there. (How many of them have you heard?)
Difficulty: Intermediate
Colombia
Colombia's Aterciopelados ("The Velvety Ones") delivers another smooth song with a political message. This time, the band questions immigration policies and asks who has the right to dream of a better life.
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
A little research tells us that the musical comedy Arturo did with Héctor Suárez at the Teatro de los Insurgentes was Sigue tu onda (Follow Your Wave), a Spanish language adaptation of a Broadway show known to American theater-goers as Your Own Thing. Soon Arturo himself would be heading to New York on a tip from Paul McCartney’s agent that he could land a spot in Hair...
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mexico
As it turns out the young Arturo Vega, Mexican emigré actor and artist in New York, lived below a girl who was seeing a young man named Douglas Glenn Colvin (who would come to be known as “Dee Dee Ramone”). The two visionaries got to talking…
Difficulty: Beginner
Colombia
Carlos introduces us to the Muiscas, one of the most developed pre-Columbian civilizations to inhabit the Cundiboyacense plateau in the central part of present day Colombia.
Difficulty: Beginner
Mexico
Antonio Vargas is a versatile Mexican artist living in Los Cabos. He has done cartoons, commercial drawings, paintings and a lot of sculptures. In this episode Antonio is going to show us some of his cartoons containing the adventures of Surfo.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mexico
Our surf-loving friend Antonio Vargas is a talented illustrator with a varied career. Here we see some of his more commercial work and some of what he does for fun—like an illustrated magazine and notebook doodles.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mexico
You may know the baraja española, the Spanish deck of cards, with its classic renderings of kings and knights in four suits. Our illustrator friend Antonio Vargas created a uniquely Mexican baraja with native imagery drawing from the pre-Columbian Aztec, Olmec, Toltec and Mayan cultures.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Mexico
Antonio Vargas is a talented painter and sculptor. In this video, he’s going to show us his works, explain what they mean and how he made them. A self-portrait as a fish? His father in clay? It’s all here.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Dominican Republic
Angel Villalona, better known as “Andy Andy,” began his career singing merengue, but he is making his mark in bachata. Both are genres from his native Dominican Republic. The governor of New York proclaimed Andy a “stellar example” for young people and the governor of Connecticut declared April 17th “Andy Andy Day.” He’s got our vote too.
Difficulty: Advanced
Chile
French born Chilean singer Ana Tijoux bring the best of both worlds! She made part of Makiza, in Chile, and became well known in Latin American because her collaborations with Julieta Vanegas, Los Tres, Bajofondo Tango Club and Control Machete.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
Chile
Ana Tijoux’s 2011 single speaks of the thousands of young people who, in protest, have taken over their schools and universities, demanding free, quality education from their government.
Difficulty: Beginner
Spain
Amparo Sanchez – a singer and guitar player from Spain – is not afraid to mix genres, geographies and influences. On her band Amparanoia’s website, she explains: “My paranoia is music and the idea was to mix rhythms and styles, taking enjoyment from the rumba to ‘ranchera’, or the bolero and ska…” (Of course, Amparo + paranoia = Amparanoia.) Listen to 2006’s “La vida te da” and hear the Afro-Cuban rumba interpreted by this talented Spaniard.
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