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Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday that’s often misunderstood. Every autumn, people around the world turn to the internet to ask if it’s Mexican Halloween, where it comes from, and how it’s celebrated. So in this episode, we decided to answer some of the most commonly searched for questions about this fascinating celebration.Correction @ 00:10:27 : se quedan toda la madrugada hasta el dos de noviembre*Links:028 - Día de Muertos: Lo Que Tienes Que Saber | Day of the Dead: What You Need to Know029 - Calaveritas de Azúcar: Origen y Tradición | Sugar Skulls: Origin and Tradition082 - El Pan de Muerto | Bread of the DeadWhat is Day of the Dead?Day of the Dead in Michoacan [Morelia, Patzcuaro, Janitzio, Tzintzuntzan]Level up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Mexico is rich in pre-hispanic traditions that you can still experience to this day. One of our favorites is a beverage you can taste in Oaxaca called “tejate.” This delicious corn and cacao-based drink has been used to help energize people for hundreds of years. Find out more in this episode where we interview doña Lucrecia, maker of some of the best tejate in Oaxaca.Links:Drink Tejate with Doña Lucrecia on our Oaxaca Spanish Immersion Retreat022 - Bebidas Tradicionales de Colima, México | Traditional Drinks of Colima, Mexico025 - El Chocolate: Un Regalo de México al Mundo | Chocolate: Mexico's Gift to the WorldCheck out our YouTube video "Finding the Best Mezcal + More" where we also tried Tejate & PonzontleLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Airbnb can be a breath of fresh air from hotels or an absolute nightmare. We should know. We’ve stayed in over sixty of them. In this episode, we share our worst experience with Airbnb yet. It’s a harrowing tale about a filthy house, an out-of-state landlord, and two vengeful admins. This is an experience no one should ever have to go through.Links:088 - Pesadillas de Airbnb Parte 1 | Airbnb Nightmares Part 1Get 25% Off Trusted HousesittersLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

It’s every Spanish students’ worst enemy: the dreaded subjunctive form. This beast of a grammatical concept is too big to fit in one episode, but you would do well to know about and practice some of its most common uses in every day conversation. In this episode, we cover ten or so of the most common phrases that use the subjective mood in Spanish.Links:Level up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

For most, chocolate is a sweet made for enjoying as a dessert or in a candy. But for some communities in Oaxaca, it’s a cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation, where even the question “when are we going to drink chocolate” has a deeper meaning. Find out what cacao and chocolate means to Ervit from Chimalapa Cacao con Origin in this interview.Links:Drink chocolate with Ervit & Ruth on our Oaxaca Spanish Immersion RetreatCheck out Chimalapa Cacao con Origin's WebsiteFollow Chimalapa on Instagram025 - El Chocolate: Un Regalo de México al Mundo | Chocolate: Mexico's Gift to the WorldSelf-guided Chocolate Tour in Oaxaca City (YouTube Video)Spanish Immersion RetreatsLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Tacos, burritos, and guacamole - these are foods that everyone thinks of when they think of Mexican food. But Mexican cuisine goes much deeper than just tortillas and tomatoes. In this episode, we take a look at some of the Mexican dishes you’ve probably never heard of before.Links:013 - La Comida Mexicana | Mexican FoodLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

One of the funnest things about learning a new language is learning new words that don’t have an easy translation into English. In part three of our of our “Words in Spanish That Don’t Translate” series, we dive into even more uniquely Spanish vocabulary.Links:117 - Palabras del Español que no Existen en Inglés Parte 1 | Words in Spanish That Don’t Exist in English Part 1121 - Palabras del Español que no Existen en Inglés Parte 2 | Words in Spanish That Don’t Exist in English Part 2Película: Vivir Dos VecesLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Even if you’ve never been to Mexico before, you’ve probably still heard all about their giant sombreros, Cinco de Mayo, and the afternoon siesta… but how much of this is actually true? In this episode, we take a closer look at eight of the most common myths about Mexico.Links:056 - Cinco de Mayo075 - Sobre México | About Mexico104 - ¡Al Chile! - Chilis: Straight to the PointLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Ecuador really surprised us. It’s a country that seems to have a little bit of everything. Unique flora and fauna, food, culture, and history. It also has something else that most other countries do not… the equator! In this episode, we take a deeper dive into what really stood out to us about this incredible country.Links:113 - Cómo nos Impactó Nicaragua | How Nicaragua Impacted Us114 - Sobre Ecuador | About Ecuador119 - Cosas Que Nos Gustan de Cuenca | Things We Like About Cuenca124 - El Español Ecuatoriano con Kevin | Ecuadorian Spanish with KevinHow Shrunken Heads Work | Stuff You Should KnowLevel up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show

Travel and migration can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you can enrich yourself with unique experiences, pursue happiness abroad, and help the local economy by spending your limited resources in a new-to-you part of the world. On the other hand, too much tourism or immigration to a specific area can raise prices, pressuring the locals to move out, and dilute cultural elements that made the a place desirable to visit in the first place. This is a conversation that’s happening a lot right now in Mexico, and it’s something us travelers should be conscious of if we seek to minimize the potential harm we may cause to local economies. In this episode, we discuss gentrification in Mexico and what we can do to help protect the places we visit and migrate to.Links:057 - Una Vida Mejor por Menos | A Better Life for LessMexico City becomes 'work from home' haven for US expats, but locals are getting priced outAre Gringos Ruining Mexico City?Level up your Spanish with our Podcast MembershipGet the full transcript of each episode so you don’t miss a wordListen to an extended breakdown section in English going over the most important words and phrasesTest your comprehension with a multiple choice quizSupport the show