Reading authentic Spanish literature is one of the most interesting ways for more advanced Spanish students to increase their vocabulary and knowledge of linguistic structures. Ester from El Aula Azul recommends three books that her upper level students have enjoyed.

On today's edition of "El Club de los Cinéfilos Muertos" (The Dead Movie Buffs Club), the topic at hand is Mel Gibson, the very famous actor who later became a great film director. Let's see what the guys have to say about his films.

The commentators discuss in enthusiastic detail Mel Gibson's film "Man Without a Face," including an iconic shot that evokes another classic film and a stellar child performance.

The hosts move on to the second film directed by Mel Gibson: "Braveheart," which, in spite of the difficulty he had finding producers, went on to win five Oscars.

We continue looking in more detail at some key scenes from the movie "Braveheart" that show Mel Gibson's style of narrating history.

On this occasion, the discussion revolves around the influence that "Braveheart" has had on the way battles are portrayed in other famous movies.

The discussion continues about the movie Braveheart, focused, among other things, on the script and Mel Gibson's religious influence on the film.

On this occasion, we hear comments about another famous Mel Gibson film: The Passion of the Christ.

On this occasion, Rubén and Guillermo discuss other notable aspects of The Passion of the Christ such as its realism and cinematography.

Meet Julio Sarramián, a fine artist from Madrid, who gives us a tour of his studio and tells us a bit about his work.

The Director of the Cervantes Institute in London talks about its role in promoting not only the renowned Spanish author's work but also the Spanish language and culture throughout the world.

Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

Most English speakers have at some time in their lives heard Donovan sing “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” but how many knew what such a man did? The woman in this video talks about a musical family that used to play the sinfonía, and indeed this is the Spanish name for the hand-crank organ known as a “hurdy gurdy.”

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

La Vela is a small town in the state of Falcón, on the northwest coast of Venezuela, where every December 28th Los Locos [“The Crazy Ones”] arrive wearing colorful and elaborated costumes. The whole town becomes a party, with businesses closing and people dancing in the streets. It’s a tradition that could be in any magical realism novel and that desperately struggles to not fall into oblivion.