You know what a calavera is, no? If you see one, especially on a sign in a former war zone, be very, very careful. Soldiers from Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the U.S. came together to reduce the need for these signs in Central America… reclaiming fields filled with anti-personnel mines so that farmers can return to using them for crops.

Javier Garcia. Keep your ear to the sound system, we’re catching his tunes popping up at downtown lounges and restaurants. Come along for a ride as our man is at the helm of the tranquila bus. This song was Javier’s first release, and garnered gold records in three countries. It’s guaranteed to have you moving “suave, suavecito.”

The cocktail party effect explains our ability to isolate a solitary voice amidst a sea of yappers, music and crowd noise. Let’s meet our ladies at the disco, where background noise and the effects of actual cocktails upon speech put our own c.p.e. skills to the test. (This one is hard, use the SLOW button!)

¡Oye Mamicitas y Papicitos! Forget about the Spanish! Get up off your colas, it’s time to perrear! Turn up the volume and put your hands in the air! Tell ‘em that you’re single (aunque si no!) Stand up right now and muévete that cintura! (You know you want to!)

Francisco sees potential for creation and innovation in a wide range of materials: drift wood, shells, seeds, goat skin, even plastic debris. He is speaking with the governor about creating a tallerr, or workshop, that can be used to teach artistic skills to the young people of the area, as well as to showcase the work of other local artisans.

Imagine the horror of stepping on a landmine while gardening. This is what happened to farmers José Moncada and Reinaldo Herrera. Through great courage they survive to testify of the enduring evils that are minas antipersonales.

Ibiza is a wonderful holiday destination any day, but the summer solstice presents an opportunity to partake in an ancient tradition and celebrate all night long. Let’s join Tatiana for a cruise on a beautiful velero to visit some secret swimming spots and then we’ll head into town for la noche de San Juan.

Yes, Belanova may be a shill for Pizza Hut Mexico, but we are not going to hold that against this fine synth-pop dance trio who came together in 2000 in Guadalajara. How did the band create the name Belanova? An entrevista en español in Enkidu magazine tells all.

Axel Fernando entered the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música in Buenos Aires at only eight years old, but dropped out in his early teens, wishing to focus more on academics, and less on music. To the delight of adoring fans throughout the world, he got serious again about music at seventeen, and hasn’t looked back since.

A fishing village like Adícora can be a place of work and industry for locals, but also one of rest and relaxation for travelers. Chober comes from a fishing family and knows the trade, but he recognizes the growing importance of tourism. His generation realizes that the survival of both ways of life necessitates better care of the environment and increased ecological awareness.

Maria Lionza is said to have been born in 1502 to an Indian Chief in the Yaracuy region of Venezuela. Today she is revered throughout the Caribbean by followers of the syncretic cult which is named after her, but artists too find her an irresistably mystical symbol alluding to history, race, and sex. Her painting hangs on the wall of Francisco’s taller in Adícora.

Barrio Adentro (Inside the Neighborhood) is a program of free medical clinics that have been established throughout Venezuela. Critics include the Venezuelan Medical Association, who claim that the Cubans who make up most of the doctors are not qualified, though the WHO and UNICEF are generally as enthusiastic as Omar about the program.

Spain has never been a country afraid of divisive politics, and filmmaker Joan Planas has no fear of getting controversial when presenting his views of society, church and state. Note that the older gentleman is not speaking straight Spanish but Catalan, and the Spanish captions reflect not his exact words but are the same as the Spanish subtitles seen in white on the screen.

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.

In Guatemala, people of Mayan descent not only retain various native forms of dress, but they also speak dialects of the Mayan language, a language many people wrongly presume to be long lost to history. Rafael treats us to some examples of words and phrases in this language, and also explains some of the particulars of traditional dress.

When something is distasteful, it’s common to hear qué asco (how disgusting) This is precisely what Marley proclaims as Sebastián chooses a particularly fea cockroach to munch on. Sebastián didn’t in fact, tragar, or swallow, the roach, and we think Marley let him off easy!

It was his father who gave him the nickname “Juanes,” created by combining his first name (Juan) and the beginning of his second name (Esteban). Pops may have realized that it made for a perfect pop idol calling card, as he also taught him to play guitar.

If there was an entry for “trippy” in the English-Spanish dictionary we think there would be a photo of Liquits sitting there next to it. Lyrically, this neat little tune is not as simple as it at first sounds, and is loaded with double meanings and word plays—we’ve tried to point out a few! Have fun (you know you like to sing)—vocab quiz on naked stork firefly poppies first thing Monday.

Carlos Eduardo López Ávila, known to most of the world as Jeremías, (his nombre escénico) was born in London, where his parents were studying, but he returned with them to their native Venezuela at the tender age of two. Billboard describes his music, with its blend of trova, pop, salsa and rock as mestizo (which of course usually refers to a person of mixed blood).

Joselo Rangel is a native of Minatitlan, Puerto de Veracruz. He went to university, however, in Mexico City, at UAM (Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana). It was there that he teamed up with Ruben Albarran to create the legendary Café Tacuba. “Sobriedad” is from his recent solo effort, Lejos.

Me siento parte del rock, aunque el disco sea más pop explains Coti Sorokin (known to his fans simply as “Coti”) in an interview with MTV España. His talent is widely respected, having composed songs for the likes of Alejandro Lerner and Diego Torres, and served as producer for Los Enanitos Verdes.

Polbo used to play sixties cover songs in bars “de mala muerte” in Yabucoa by night, while studying physics at university by day. They began to write their own songs, which the crowds started to demand more than the covers. Keep an ear out for them!

You know, it’s never the drummer or the bassist that gets the big ego, it’s usually el cantante. In this case one is about to ruin Viole’s big opening party by refusing to play on a small stage. Is this Juan’s big chance for rock and roll stardom, or is he better off sticking to his new job as plomo (roadie)?

Enjoying almost full support by his party as their presidential candidate, Andrés Manuel López Obrador stepped down from his post as Mayor of Mexico City, aka D.F. (Distrito Federal) to campaign for the presidency of Mexico in the 2006 elections against Felipe Calderón.