Back in 1990, just breaking out, Gloria Trevi sang “Quiero llevar el pelo suelto” – a pop song that rang out like an anthem for the young and the restless. These days, after many years of success and many self-transformations, Trevi’s still singing about strength, independence, and she’s still belting it out near the top of the charts.

There’s more to Miami than postcard-perfect beaches and pink drinks. These days, the city is a great melting pot – especially for Latin American and other Spanish-speaking folks – and there’s a thriving arts scene. As Antonio sees it, the annual art fair called Art Basel is the place to appreciate Miami’s great international flavor.

Talk about a life turnaround! Fidel Nadal, an Afro-Argentine Reggae musician, sings about his happy embrace of life while walking, skipping and dancing through a forest and the famous Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires. And to think he used to fritter away his time, feeling down.

Isa, short for Isabella, seems to be one optimistic and happy girl. This song is an invitation to teens and pre-teens to come dance and enjoy her TV show Isa TKM. BTW: In Spanish, TKM means te quiero mucho (I love you), in texting-style.

Want to know what you didn’t know before? Here’s the first in our series of what you didn’t know about… electronic art. We talk to a veteran electronic artist who’s been playing around with computers since the old Commodore and Amiga machines connected to TV sets. He’s linking and looping, moving from one networked idea to the next. See if you can follow his rapid-fire monologue about his digital works.

We love surfing and we love nice, friendly people. In this one small store in Los Cabos, we ran into two of our favorite things. Come hear the owner and a star employee share their knowledge of different boards. They’re very helpful with beginners.

ChocQuibTown is the most important Colombian hip-hop band of the moment and they have been pretty busy exporting their music around the world. From Argentina to Texas, people are dancing to their rhythms. But even as the band travel, ChocQuibTown hasn’t forgotten where they all come from. On the contrary, they are inspired by their Colombian roots.

Ah, catchy songs: They get under your skin and won’t leave your head. Here Mexican pop band Reik sings a catchy song about a catchy girl—at least, Reik’s crooner seems incapable of forgetting her.

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.

Meet Rubén Blades, a Salsa superstar. He helped mix Cuban and Caribbean rhythms with Jazz in New York City. Rubén Blades (or, Rubencito here among friends) composed some salsa classics while also excelling as a singer. But that’s not all. Moviegoers may recognize him as one of the victims in Predator 2. He also has a law degree and ran for president of Panama. When this video with Calle 13 was filmed, he was Panama’s Tourism Minister.

Singers Hanna and Ashley of Ha*Ash were born in Louisiana but are now based in Mexico. When they were 11 and 13, they got their first taste of success at a school talent show. Since then, Ha*Ash have gone far mixing Latin pop with country music. With a gold disc and platinum album in the bag, Ha*Ash are flying close to the stars they used to admire when they were just chicas.

We learn more about summer fruits, thanks to our friends at Fruteria Los Mangos. So many varieties, colors and recipes to explore. Anyone up for a colorful pomegranate margarita?

Anytime is the perfect time for a trip to Mallorca. Ready to jump on a plane tomorrow? Well then, let’s plan a last-minute island getaway with Marta and Marisa!

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.

Spain’s pop sensation is way more than an enigmatic name. Sure, we’re also wondering why you’d name your band after the removed appendage of a long-gone Dutch painter, but what’s made them famous is their music. "El último vals" is a song inspired by Martin Scorsese’s film The Last Waltz.