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.

Although one language unites the people from all Spanish-speaking countries, it is useful- and fun- to become familiar with the different vocabulary and expressions utilized by Spanish speakers from various nations.

Jaime Garbet gives a radio interview on the one-year anniversary of his magazine, "Falcon Total," which focuses on the Falcon State in Venezuela, particularly renowned for its Kiteboarding World Championships.

Elvira talks to us from the Santa Caterina Market, one of the most famous attractions in the Gothic Quarter, Barcelona's oldest neighborhood, explaining a bit about it as well as some of Catalonia's most common and tastiest tapas.

Emiro spent years crewing an oil tanker, and many more as a fisherman commanding his own lancha, so it’s no surprse to find him at the helm of his own seaside kitchen, the Pimienta Café in Adícora. Join us as we drop in to check out the menu!

She loves Barcelona, but lovely Tatiana’s accent quickly gives her away as a colombiana (from Bogotá, to be precise). Until the Olympics came to town and spurred a facelift, Barcelona wasn’t really living up to its potential. But now it is fully exploiting its great location on the Mediterranean Sea.

The history of bullfighting dates back to at least Roman times. For some people it is a form of art while others regard it as a barbarian tradition. This video takes us to the very heart of Las Ventas in Madrid, the most renowned bullfighting arena in the world. Torero o toro? Just pick a side, take a seat and enjoy the show.

Ibiza is a wonderful holiday destination any day, but the summer solstice presents an opportunity to partake in an ancient tradition and celebrate all night long. Let’s join Tatiana for a cruise on a beautiful velero to visit some secret swimming spots and then we’ll head into town for la noche de San Juan.

Javier is proud of his fruit stand: he says it’s the best in all of Tijuana, Mexico. He explains to us how he prepares the different fruit shakes, fruit cocktails, and fruit salads, as well as a special recipe from Tijuana for tostilocos.

Watch Javier as he shows you how he makes a cottage cheese fruit salad. So many colors, so many flavors, so many names!

Hallaca is one of Venezuela's most traditional dishes, particularly around Christmas. Joining us from the municipality of El Hatillo, Caracas, Luisa will share with us how to prepare this exquisite recipe. We hope you'll try it out!

Do you know what a cuatro sounds like? This is your opportunity to get to know this typical Venezuelan instrument, a beautiful, little four-stringed guitar.