How hard is your cáscara? Here Circo’s José Luis “Fofé” Abreu sings about a certain someone with the power to crack his. Note that cáscara is mostly used for eggs and nuts, whereas the shell of a turtle would be caparazón and that of a snail would be concha.

Have you ever had una sospecha (a suspicion)? Puerto Rico’s Circo explores restless uncertainty and mines a treasure chest of carnivalesque imagery from the world of Santeria, that mix of African deity worship and Catholicism that sprouted after African slaves arrived on the shores of the new world.

Can you tomar en serio a group called Circo? This Puerto Rican rock band gives us advice about how to leave behind bad moments at the speed of light. But should we trust them? What if they are payaseando?

Cienfue is a charismatic Panamanian singer. He manages to have a rock star attitude and still be a nice guy. We know: we had a chance to meet him. Make sure to visit his webpage.

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?

Cienfue is an alternative folk guitarist and singer who mixes Panama's peculiar folklore with alternative rock and social lyrical content. Here is the official video of "La décima tercera", a song that is part of his 2010 album La calma y la tormenta (The Calm and the Storm).

Chus shares with us some poetry by two of her favorite writers, revered Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, and Argentinean poetess, Alejandra Pizarnik.

Chus shares two delightful poems by Antonio Machado, one of the authors from Spain's Generation of Ninety-Eight, a group of writers and philosophers who were prolific during the Spanish-American War.

Christhian presents us with his rendition of "Temblando" by "Hombres G."

Beautiful Panama has been promoted to tourists with the slogan “Se queda en tí” (“It stays with you”). Panamanian waters are great for surfing, for fishing and for floating around and chatting. Let’s meet Cholito, one of the locals, who will show us around in his boat!

Cholito prefers the gentle beauty of nature to any colossal modern hotels. There are some plans to develop Cholito’s favorite Panamanian beaches, but he (and many other locals) love the way things are. After our boat ride around the islands, we understand why!

ChocQuibTown is a name everyday more common on Colombian airwaves and dance floors. Their mix of traditional rhythms from el Pacífico with hip-hop elements and a heavy dose of “funky” is earning them a place on the playlists of both young listeners as well as a more traditional audience. In this Yabla-exclusive interview, we had the chance to chat with the band about where, exactly, it’s all at.

The Colombian Pacific coast is a forgotten paradise. Its habitants complain about the lack of attention from the rest of the country, but it might be this bit of isolation that helps them maintain their rich culture. ChocQuibTown comes from the world’s rainiest lowland, and it is there that they learned to mix African drums and Latin beats with hip-hop and funk, creating a totally new sound that’s firmly rooted in their tradition.

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.

Stop thief! A stranger with a foreign accent and talk of riches has come in and taken all the native gold, leaving poverty in his wake. Colombia’s talented ChocQuibTown manage to sing about serious geopolitical exploitation in a way that’s fun to listen to (and danceable, too).