What’s for lunch today? That’s one of our favorite questions and since we’re in Mexico, Marina give us some great answers. In Latin America people look for a calm, fresh place where they can enjoy el almuerzo del día, the special lunch of the day, or pedir de la carta, to order from the menu. It’s a perfect time for sitting back and taking a break from your work day.

These friendly and animated guys are hardworking chilangos. That’s how people from Mexico City are known around Mexico. Let’s share a bus ride with them and learn some slang about workers and working in and around Chilangolandia.

Bajofondo is the fusion of different musicians from the Río de la Plata area, Uruguayans and Argentineans. In 2003, they won the Latin Grammy for “Best Pop Instrumental Album” for their new genre: Electronic Tango. We interviewed Luciano Supervielle and Martín Ferres after a show in Germany about their most recent European tour.

Sometimes we wonder: What do people from Chile eat? Well, thanks to our friend Joaquín we have an answer. And who doesn’t love sandwiches?

Let’s keep learning the Chilango slang. Ciudad de México, also knows as El Distrito or el D.F. is home to around 21 million people. Of course, they have to set themselves apart from people coming from other cities, and that’s why they created their own words, their own expressions. We went to share and learn with this nice construction crew, all of them very proud of being Chilangos.

Depedro is the solo project of Spanish singer and guitar player Jairo Zavala. Here, Yabla talks to the talented musician from Madrid about his exploration of Latin American pop, picking up new instruments on tour in Mexico, his musical beginnings and his appearances with U.S.-based Calexico.

En route, Juan and friends tell about working far from home. Not only are there financial obstacles, there are cultural differences as well that lead to some misunderstandings. Americans don’t quite understand the saying Mi casa es su casa. Pay attention the next time someone from Mexico tells you there’s a party at your house!

The Peruvian group Novalima took a break from their European tour for an interview. Learn about the branching out and coming back together that the band members went through to achieve their rich and eclectic sound.

Continue learning about what specific kinds of music go into the mix to make the special sound that is Novalima.

Novalima mixes Peruvian folk music with electronic beats. Touring has become an important source of inspiration. That’s how they translate their musical roots onto the dance floor. Universal tunes with local sounds!

Can money buy happiness? That’s the subject of this friendly debate between Ester and her friend…Ester. It seems that too much reasoning has split our El Aula Azul friend in two. Can money at least cure our friend Ester?

Novalima is very aware of the importance of Peruvian folk music, not just in their sound but in another musical genres as well. Paco de Lucía, a Spanish flamenco musician, might have made the sound of the “cajón” (a box-like musical instrument) famous, but that sound is Peruvian as it gets.

Ah, family… We love them all, each in their own special way. Ester, a teacher at San Sebastian's Spanish language school, El Aula Azul, tells us what makes cousin Carolina attractive and what makes us love cousin Pedro. These two Spaniards couldn’t be more opposite.

Bajofondo is, according to the group, a “collective of composers, singers and artists.” They started out as the Bajofondo Tango Club with a strong tango influence, but have since broadened their sound. Here they talk about the collective and begin a discussion of their sound.

Manu Chao is French, but he has Spanish roots. He sings in six or seven different languages, from Spanish to English to Arabic, and his music has even more diverse influences. “Clandestino,” the title track from Manu’s first album, deals with the issue of immigration: “I wrote it about the border between Europe and those coming from poorer nations. Look around – maybe thirty percent of the people in this street are clandestino (illegal).”