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.

The pouring rain doesn’t stop Aterciopelados from rocking the park in Bogotá. “Rock al parque” is probably the biggest open-air (free!) rock festival in Latin America, held annually in Colombia’s capital. Listen in as Aterciopelados sings out a tribute to this fun festival and to fellow bands performing there. (How many of them have you heard?)

Colombia's Aterciopelados ("The Velvety Ones") delivers another smooth song with a political message. This time, the band questions immigration policies and asks who has the right to dream of a better life.

Carlos introduces us to the Muiscas, one of the most developed pre-Columbian civilizations to inhabit the Cundiboyacense plateau in the central part of present day Colombia.

Carlos describes for us the fascinating enthronement ceremony that gave rise to to the legend of "El Dorado" ["The Golden One"], a nickname which referred to the cacique, or king, of Colombia's Muisca people.

Carlos explains the different roles myths have played historically and tells us the Muisca myth of Bachué, which explains the origin of Man.

Carlos closes his series on pre-Columbian America by sharing with us the myth of Bochica, a God thought to be responsible for several natural phenomena.

In the first part of this series, Carlos introduces us to the characteristics of flash fiction, a literary genre distinguished by its succinctness and ability to capture the reader from the first word to the last.

Let's listen to a couple of examples of flash fiction stories to better understand what this literary genre is all about. Entitled "Destino" [Fate] and "Soñando despierta" [Daydreaming], both pieces received awards at prestigious international flash fiction contests.

After shedding some light on the flash fiction genre and providing us with some examples, Carlos finally reads us the piece with which he placed among the finalists at a prominent flash fiction contest in Barcelona. Can you understand any of the meaning behind it?

After reading us his flash fiction story, "Para siempre" [Forever], Carlos offers some insight into the historical backdrop, events, and characters that inspired him.

If you like chess, this lesson is for you! In this first part, we'll learn not only some of the most important Spanish chess-related vocabulary, but also how certain pieces move.

Having learned about the rook, the knight, and the bishop, let's now see how to place and move the remaining pieces: the king, the queen, and the pawn.

In part three of Carlos' series on chess, he explains some important aspects of the game, including a popular opening move, as well as the Spanish words for terms like checkmate, castling, and stalemate.

In this last installment of this series on chess, Carlos teaches us a few tactics, among which is the famous "queen's gambit," like the title of the popular Netflix series.