Franco de Vita, born in Venezuela to Italian immigrants, is probably Venezuela’s most popular musical export; he’s considered Latin music’s most consistently popular singer-songwriter. At 53 he has 25 years in the limelight to prove it. Mil y Una Historias En Vivo is his newest album.

Venezuelan legend Franco de Vita has been a fixture on the pop charts since his debut album in 1984. His extremely romantic tunes made him a star in a country renowned for its telenovela industry. “Mi sueño” is one of de Vita’s most recent hits, and a great showcase of his talent.

In Hello Chamo, a song by Venezuelan singer Félix Carlos, he takes us on a tour of the streets of New York as he encounters some of his fellow Venezuelans— some of them well-known— who also live in the city. The rhythm of the song is the traditional Calypso from the El Callao municipality, a festive beat that contrasts his sad narration about immigration.

Let's visit the Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that was formerly a theater and was declared by National Geographic the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

Let's hear some anecdotes and learn a bit more about the history of the Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires' most breathtaking and famous bookstore.

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.

Monica seeks her friend, Luis', advice about whether or not she is ready to write a book on spirituality.

Luis explains to Monica how, in order to write for others, one must first write for him or herself.

In the final part of this series, Luis advises Monica to do exercises to control her own anger before advising others how to control theirs.

Collecting, restoring and “souping up” Volkswagens is a passion shared by Latin Americans from Baja to Buenos Aires. They love the mechanics and the mechanical lingo. But what’s as clear as the Adicora sky, is that what keeps them united is not pipes and motors but friendship.

We continue to talk with VW fans in Venezuela. There’s something about that German engineering that gets into Latin blood, it seems. Fans rave that they’re beautiful, unique and reliable, running on pure gasoline.