As the daughter of recent immigrants from Ecuador, Francis Gortaire didn’t get to have a traditional quinceañera when she turned 15. But, for her 30th birthday, she decided to host the quinceañera she never had and shared an important announcement with her community. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3x8n1bc.

Julián Meconetzin Rangel Sosa learned how to craft piñatas when he was a kid. So when he launched his own business, he also taught children in schools how to make them, passing the custom onto the next generation. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3JIGfHV.

An asadora — a woman grill master — in Argentina breaks into the male-dominated field of barbecuing, creating an entire movement. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/34V2nzO.

In Quito, entrepreneur Paúl Mendez updates his community’s New Year’s custom — burning effigies, or monigotes — to make it healthier for the environment. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3MELryi.

When a Spanish mayor signs a yearly proclamation requesting everyone respect the hours of the siesta, his small town suddenly makes headlines around the world. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3MkEW3B.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back for a special season, with new episodes on March 3rd. Listen to the trailer now!

For almost a decade, Leydis Lopez put her career in education on hold. Until one day, she finally decided to lean into her native Spanish language to give children the gift of bilingualism. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3HoUG2U.

At eight years old, Margarita Lora Prats left Cuba in a plane full of children, thinking she was headed on a vacation. But she was actually one of thousands of children airlifted to the United States during the Cuban Revolution, in a covert program called “Operación Pedro Pan.” A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3rZbDdq.

After fleeing her hometown of Capulhuac, México, Cristina Martínez starts all over in Philadelphia, where she rises to fame as a barbacoa chef. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/35xJz9v.

Growing up in Venezuela, identical twin brothers Emilio and Orlando Tovar Gil had to lean on each other to survive. After working hard to pursue an international dance career, will a series of setbacks cause them to break up? A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ufWU0O.

For years, Jane Terrazas lived in fear of violence in her hometown of Juárez. But later, she used her skills as a designer and artist to empower women to gain economic freedom and personal safety. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3Giecg3.

Ever since he was a kid, Rafa Millan-Garcia got through tough times by getting on his bike and pedaling alone for miles. But after one very long bike ride took him 1,700 miles from his home in Mexico City to Colorado, this nomad found a community that he never wanted to leave. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/340ZDAv.

In 2011, Mónica Mera survived an accident that left her paraplegic and emotionally devastated. She thought her days of adventure were over, until she received an invitation to join a special journey on the famous Camino de Santiago trail in Spain. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ucjXJB.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes on October 28. Listen to the trailer now!

After a famous sculpture by Auguste Rodin goes missing, and then dramatically reappears, a Chilean filmmaker sets out to uncover the motives of the mysterious art student responsible for the theft. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3gdeqdI.

When two literature professors discover that a woman named María Lejárraga was behind some of the greatest Spanish literary works of the 20th century, they set out to learn why her name was omitted from history, and do everything in their power to restore her work to her name. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3IJiP4m.

For 47 years after her death, a room in Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s house remained sealed to the outside world. When it was finally opened in 2004, it revealed amazing insights into the painter and her life. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3Gfumqw.

After a famous Matisse painting from a Venezuelan museum mysteriously shows up in a Miami art gallery, a journalist investigates and discovers the unthinkable: for years, the so-called masterpiece on display at the museum was a fake. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3KYKccz.

Pablo Picasso’s most famous work, the anti-war mural called Guernica, is returned to Spain under a veil of secrecy after 44 years outside the country during the Franco dictatorship. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/34q7ffG.

When a first edition of Gabriel García Márquez’s famous book, One Hundred Years of Solitude, disappears from a book fair in Bogotá, Colombia, a devoted bookseller vows to get it back. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s4cGJe.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with a very special season on August 5. Listen to the trailer now!

Marisa Rosales loved cars as a kid. But it wasn’t until she discovered lowriders as a young woman that she found a car community connected to her Mexican-American identity. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3IPIsk3.

Juan Pablo grew up fascinated with bullfighting, a tradition in his home country of Spain. But when he discovers recorte — the art of bull dodging — he sees it as a thrilling, more humane alternative. He throws himself into the dangerous sport, risking his life every time he faces a bull. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ufOHcE.

Tango is Argentina’s most iconic cultural tradition. But for a hundred years, tangos have only been written from the perspective of men. The conductor of “La empoderada” or “The Empowered,” Argentina’s first all-female tango orchestra, is trying to change that. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3KVdoRI.

Uruguay consumes more mate than any other country in the world. But for a hundred years, almost all of that mate has been imported. Now, Rodrigo Patrón is trying to bring back mate production in Uruguay, in a way that respects both the environment and the famous tea’s origins. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3KYGvDx.

After years of studying classical music overseas, a Peruvian composer returns home and decides to write an opera incorporating classical instruments as well as Andean ones like the zampoña and the quena — both types of flutes. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3gcZyMr.

Cacao was once a cash crop for Costa Rica — until a fungus in the 1970’s wiped out over 80% of the country’s cacao trees. Today, Juan Pablo Buchert is trying to revive the industry, by promoting sustainability and fair trade. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s7B1Os.

Growing up, José Luis Hernández disliked lucha libre, the famous style of Mexican professional wrestling. So he never imagined that someday, he would be one of its biggest stars. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3HjrhHh.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes on April 29. Listen to the trailer now!

When a family friend told Dolores Fernández that she’d seen her on television, Dolores was sure there must be a mistake. But then Dolores saw the program for herself…and there she was. Except Dolores had never been on television. So who was this mystery woman? A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3rcdcpo.

María Campos falls in love with a stray dog who has a knack for leading protests — and becomes a global symbol of unity and strength in Chile's historic social uprising. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3AKBlq4.

After experiencing climate change-fueled wildfires in person, a young Spanish businessman searches for a solution to reforest the planet, with help from a tree-whispering monk. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3Gaew0g.

Pushed away by growing insecurity and political unrest in her country, a Venezuelan woman follows her dream of moving to Georgia, USA. There, she faces a tough reality of the language barrier and harsh work conditions…obstacles she meets with a fighter's spirit. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3Hli55g.

A tattoo parlor in Barcelona helps survivors of domestic violence start a new chapter in their lives. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3gapNTRm.

Eleven years ago, a young geologist named Sandra Jara became an unsung hero in the high-stakes race to rescue 33 trapped Chilean miners. Now, she’s telling her story. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3HhSYAh.

After a fortuitous encounter in Taiwan, two Mexican friends decide to transform their national symbol into an ethical alternative for the fashion industry. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s9934C.

In one of the poorest neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, a soccer coach helps girls fight for their right to play, building a feminist soccer league that becomes an example of inclusion in sports. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3GddG2J.

In this special episode, we go behind the scenes of “El gran robo argentino,” the first special mini-series from the Duolingo Spanish Podcast. Host and executive producer Martina Castro reveals the most intriguing secrets from this one-of-a-kind show — with a little help from those who made it possible. If you want to hear the original music composed for this series, you can check it out here: http://bit.ly/3nIygi5 . The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes starting on January 21, 2021.

The robbers are forced to face the consequences of their crime, and find themselves up against potentially lengthy prison sentences. While the evidence against them is damning, they hope to make the case for leniency by arguing that they were unarmed. But the prosecutors intend to show they are not the non-violent folk heroes the media have made them out to be. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/344b0aJ.

It's the version of the heist you haven't yet heard: the day of the robbery, from the thieves' point of view. Hear the play-by-play of what really happened inside the Río Bank on January 13, 2006. With everything planned down to the smallest detail, what could go wrong? A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/32N6AV9.

The mysterious mastermind assembles a band of thieves to rob a bank without firing any shots. For a year, the gang thinks through every single detail. But can they really trust one another to pull off such an elaborate scheme? A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/32Ld2vF.

An unexpected betrayal leads to the downfall of the robbers. But police still struggle to answer a central question: Who is the man who dreamt up this audacious plan that made fools of them? A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3IQaP1t.

The police have finally put together how the robbers vanished with the loot. Yet despite several leads, agents are struggling to arrest any suspects. While the police try to keep their investigation secret, the reporters will learn that the thieves left behind a mysterious clue. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/32N6JIb.

In January 2006, a group of thieves entered a bank in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in what appeared to be just a regular theft. But soon, it became clear that this would be unlike any crime Argentina had ever seen. In part one of our first ever serialized story about one of the most shocking robberies in Latin America, you'll hear from several people who investigated the crime: Journalists Rodolfo Palacios and Maria Ripetta, prosecutor Ariel Apolo, and one of the police officers who arrived on the scene. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3ITu0HO.

The Duolingo Spanish Podcast is back with new episodes starting on October 22, 2020. Listen to the trailer now!

A Bolivian biologist studies a lone frog named Romeo,, who's in danger of extinction — until she makes him a dating profile and starts an international fundraising campaign to find his Juliet and save the species. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3s5UXB9.

Irma Silva was born on a ranch, married young, and raised a large family — the traditional life of a rural Mexican woman. At 80 she thought that was it for her…until her grandson made an offer she couldn't refuse, and invited her to be the lead singer of his band. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3rfKVhB.

There are two places Teresa Valcarce calls home: Spain and the United States. But after discovering that one of her countries never fulfilled a centuries-old promise to the other, Teresa sets out on a mission to track down a missing portrait, and restore it to its rightful home. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3oa6kXC.