Difficulty:
Beginner
Colombia
It was his father who gave him the nickname “Juanes,” created by combining his first name (Juan) and the beginning of his second name (Esteban). Pops may have realized that it made for a perfect pop idol calling card, as he also taught him to play guitar.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Mexico
If there was an entry for “trippy” in the English-Spanish dictionary we think there would be a photo of Liquits sitting there next to it. Lyrically, this neat little tune is not as simple as it at first sounds, and is loaded with double meanings and word plays—we’ve tried to point out a few! Have fun (you know you like to sing)—vocab quiz on naked stork firefly poppies first thing Monday.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Venezuela
Carlos Eduardo López Ávila, known to most of the world as Jeremías, (his nombre escénico) was born in London, where his parents were studying, but he returned with them to their native Venezuela at the tender age of two. Billboard describes his music, with its blend of trova, pop, salsa and rock as mestizo (which of course usually refers to a person of mixed blood).
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Mexico
Joselo Rangel is a native of Minatitlan, Puerto de Veracruz. He went to university, however, in Mexico City, at UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana). It was there that he teamed up with Ruben Albarran to create the legendary Café Tacuba. “Sobriedad” is from his recent solo effort, Lejos.
Difficulty:
Beginner
Argentina
Me siento parte del rock, aunque el disco sea más pop explains Coti Sorokin (known to his fans simply as “Coti”) in an interview with MTV España. His talent is widely respected, having composed songs for the likes of Alejandro Lerner and Diego Torres, and served as producer for Los Enanitos Verdes.
Difficulty:
Newbie
Puerto Rico
Polbo used to play sixties cover songs in bars “de mala muerte” in Yabucoa by night, while studying physics at university by day. They began to write their own songs, which the crowds started to demand more than the covers. Keep an ear out for them!
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Argentina
You know, it’s never the drummer or the bassist that gets the big ego, it’s usually el cantante. In this case one is about to ruin Viole’s big opening party by refusing to play on a small stage. Is this Juan’s big chance for rock and roll stardom, or is he better off sticking to his new job as plomo (roadie)?
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Mexico
Enjoying almost full support by his party as their presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped down from his post as Mayor of Mexico City, aka D.F. (Distrito Federal) to campaign for the presidency of Mexico in the 2006 elections against Felipe Calderón.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Mexico
López Obrador’s campaign commercials really try to shake potential voters out of their sillas, attempting to give the potentially marginalized a strong message: “now it’s our turn, now it’s your turn!” He blatantly positions himself against the rich, those who “take the biggest piece of the cake.”
Difficulty:
Beginner
Mexico
Partido de la Revolución Democrática is what PRD stands for, and Mexican presidential hopeful Manuel López Obrador has been with the organization since its infancy when was known as the “Democratic Current” (Corriente Democrática), a dissenting wing of the once indomitable PRI, Partido Revolucionario Institucional.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Mexico
Something that induces lagrimas (tears) is said to be lacrimógeno. So if you were organizing a Festival de cine lacrimógeno, only tear-jerkers would fit the bill. If, on the other hand, you were organizing a protest of the forced seizure of your family’s farm, you might find yourself crying because of the gas lacrimógeno wafting through the air.
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Mexico
If you find it unusual that a farmer is comparing compensation for his land with the cost of presidential bath linens, you are clearly not aware of the toallagate scandal that rocked Vicente Fox’s administration and led to resignations at Los Pinos. We’re not sure what kind of towel US $400 buys, but it best be pretty darned afelpado is all we can say!
Difficulty:
Adv-Intermediate
Mexico
Can the forced displacement of families ever be justified? This is a question that knows no borders as governments seek out locations for new highways, hospitals, universities, and, especially, airports. The people of Atenco, Mexico, argue against plans to put one on their farmlands.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Bolivia
Evo Morales was a Bolivian congressman at the time of filming in 2004. At the time he was best known as an advocate and unofficial representative of traditional coca farmers, who are, for the most part, poor and marginalized. Today this indigenous politician and one-time farmer himself is best known for being president of Bolivia.
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Mexico
Harvard-educated Felipe Calderón, who the New York Times calls “a dapper man who speaks with all the fire of an economist,” is perceived as the safe, business-friendly presidential candidate. This video carefully cultivates a persona antithetical to the rougher-hewn López Obrador.
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