New York has the Hudson; Paris has the Seine; London has the Thames. Rivers were important in the building of these cities: they were commercial routes and also a source of food. Aterciopelados (in English, literally “The Velvety Ones”) the well-known Colombian band, remind us of the importance of our rivers with the title song of their socially conscious album Río.

Sunny Miami is not only a touristic destination. Their beautiful beaches and their elegant buildings are the perfect set for the newest Latin American telenovelas.

Our friends from Nortec Collective are known for their eclectic mix of electronic and norteño music (hence the name: norteño + techno = Nortec). Here, a band member discusses how the group got started, down to the very first time he read about a synthesizer. Don’t miss their Grammy award-nominated Tijuana Sound Machine.

Puerto Rican pop star Chayanne is infatuated… Not so much with a girl as with her succulent lips and mouth. He can’t get her mouth off of his mind!

If someone offered to be your space cowboy, would you be their Venus in the sand? La Gusana Ciega (the blind worm) from Mexico offers another catchy surrealist tune.

The first couple of lines of this song are happy enough, and then—pow—she left and the pain won’t disappear. Mexican pop band Reik belts out a plaintive song about heartache. Have tissues handy.

This Puerto Rican band wasn’t on the island from the get-go. Two of La Secta’s members, Mark and Gustavo, met in Orlando during school and then moved to Miami Beach. There, they met up with John and Carlos and started writing songs. The message of their album Fuego, which shines through in “Déjalos que hablen,” is, according to John, “to be positive in the face of a moment of so many changes in the world.”

Have you ever been at the end of a dark alley wondering why, how, when? Well that’s exactly the mood of this Café Tacuba song: a metaphysical alley where we wonder what did we do wrong and ask for a second chance. It seems that this guy needs a metaphysical GPS system.

It’s not easy for most kids growing up in the Chaco region: before the morning bell rings, they have already been picking cotton in the fields. Hop on a boat with Eduardo and Luciana and learn about the community service they do for needy rural schools in Argentina.

People. People. People. We usually love them and that’s why we talk with them. People from Puerto Rico, people from Ecuador. It doesn’t matter if they are bleeding or in love. We just can’t stop talking to people!

There’s a lot to love about Panama’s Cienfue. Take this great song and its even better video. It makes you want to walk right into the ocean to play guitar underwater on a sunny day, doesn’t it?

Guess who was voted the best new band in the world in 2009? Drum-roll, please… Our friends Bomba Estéreo! Yabla met them back when they were the opening act of (the also great and friendly) ChocQuibTown. Since then, Bomba Estéreo have been spreading like fire all over America and Europe.

Shakira certainly knows something of the change-up life. A Colombian, she lives in the Bahamas, dates an Argentinian, switched to English, was a brunette, is now a blonde. In this video for “Gitana” (Gypsy), watch her flirt with Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal as she tells us what fans already know.

Join us on this refreshing trip to Argentina, where we’re paddling our way thorough the history of Rio de la Plata. Eduardo y Luciana are always ready to share some of their local knowledge of Buenos Aires with us. Come on in—this golden water’s fine!

The old saying goes “Hijo de tigre, sale pintado”. Literally, it means the baby tiger is going to bear the same marks as his father. But it also means that there are some things we inherit and carry with us. Here, Aterciopelados is singing about leaving some inherited, violent habits behind.