King Messi: Eternal Logic Defier and Record Breaker
With a hat-trick against Sevilla, Messi took his La Liga goal tally up to 253 to break a record that had stood untouched for almost 60 years. Lewis Blakeman takes a look at the Argentine’s career, and argues that he doesn't…
Colombia: Starbucks Meets its Match
Starbucks's most recent expansion plan has taken them to Bogota, Colombia. How has the arrival of the coffee giant affected the market?
Fantasy Football - The Power of Spain's Autonomous Communities
It is no surprise that Basque and Catalan football fans waited with baited breath for the result of the Scottish Referendum, seeking inspiration. They know better than anybody the talent in Spain’s autonomous communities and its…
Uruguayan Elections 2014: Mujica's farewell
As Brazilian elections continue to dominate the Latin American press, another presidential race is taking place over the border in Uruguay. With Jose Mujica unable to run for this term, he leaves behind a political landscape…
Venezuela: A Legacy In Jeopardy
The Chavez legacy is omnipresent in Venezuelan society. The Bolivarian revolutionary re-drafted the education system and even built a new city in the northern state of Vargas. However, the administration of Nicolas Maduro is…
Correa's Quest for Longevity in Ecuador
On the eve of his inauguration in 2013, Ecuador's President Rafael Correa explicitly stated he would not seek re-election in four years’ time. Now, Ecuador’s Congress has proposed legislation to abolish the limit on the…
Dilma's Dilemmas: On the Road to Re-election
With the first round of Presidential elections in Brazil coming up October 5th, how have World Cup protests and the recent death of opposition Socialist candidate Eduardo Campos on the 13th August affected Dilma Rousseff’s re-…
FOR THE LOVE OF....
Forget logic, it's that time of the decade when the only currency is euphoria and rage. Yes, the World Cup is here again and all human reason disappears. Nobody does passion quite like us Latinos, which is why we’ve…
SPAIN'S CULTURAL ARMADA IN LONDON
You'd have to be deaf not to notice the huge influx of Spaniards to London in recent years. Nowhere was it more evident that at this year's Latin US Awards, which witnessed a huge Spanish participation and success. Here…
LATIN FLAVA – The bloom and burst of London’s Latin and Hispanic cuisine
From Peruvian and Mexican haute cuisine to Colombian and Venezuelan street food, via the meaty Argentine parillas and Brazilian rodizios, London is the latest city to be hit by the global craze in Latin cuisine. Spanish TV Star…
The Bogotá Mayor Scandal - separating the politics from the rubbish
Mayor Gustavo Petro's sacking late last year caused public protest and political a political storm. Nevertheless, on the 13th January, the Inspector General confirmed the decision and Petro's cause seemed to be lost,…
Where to see the Semana Santa in Spain
Few countries in the world take their Easter celebrations quite so seriously as Spain, one of the most popular celebrations is Semana Santa. Strange as it may seem, this staunchly Catholic country reflecting on crucifixion and…
‘Siembra’ and the Birth of The Latin Nation
In 1978, Ruben Blades, a young Panamanian “Sonero” and Willie Colon, a New York-born trombone player, producer and poster boy for the already booming salsa industry of New York, got together and released what would become the…
Haitian Thinking Girls in Search of School
A group of Haitian nuns are launching a revolutionary post-disaster reconstruction project
Latino Living in Chicago and London
In the space of 10 years, a once bustling Latino immigrant community in Chicago has been replaced with boutiques and bars and a clearly whiter demographic. Those that gave Pilsen the flavour that attracted the property…
The Power of Refusal
Despite harassment and assassinations after declaring themselves neutral to Colombia’s armed conflict, The San José Peace Community, a group of brave rural farmers, have proved to be an inspiration for farming communities around…
The Young Face of the Old PRI?
Now the PRI have been given a second chance by the Mexican public, after its 71-year authoritarian rule, are they proving to be the same old dinosaurs?
The Magnificent Seven
They are Spain’s newest offering to the Flamenco scene: seven Barcelona-bred brothers by a father of 39 offspring, who blend the classical and the contemporary. Framed by a band of eight female musicians, Los Vivanco's…
Did Salsa Dancers Kill Salsa Music?
Salsa promoters and musicians alike are lamenting the demise of live Salsa music as a culture and commodity people will pay to see. Some even blame the salsa dance and club culture which, they say, got cliquey with its over-…
For As Long As It Takes
The story of the men who have been camped on Buenos Aires’ Plaza de Mayo for two and a half years
Screaming for Justice
A Chilean brought up in Britain returns home to find that little justice has been achieved for Pinochet's victims, despite four years of a president, Michelle Bachelet, who was tortured under the dictatorship of General…
Argentina's strange brand of nationalism
Argentine nationalistic fervour rests on symbol and myth. This can be impossibly romantic – or eerily macabre. We look at the strange phenomenon of Argentine national fervour from Perón to the present day
Lost and Found in Mexico
An English boy follows the family myth of his great-grandfather's notorious adventures in Mexico in search of an ending, and finds more than he could ever have imagined.
The Roma Gypsies of Colombia
Hazel Marsh celebrates the community that is conspicuously ignored by Latin American history books and modern day media.
2012 and The End of the World as we know it… Mayan Prophecy or Hollywood Hoax?
Based on the ancient Mayan prophecy, the recent Hollywood blockbuster 2012 depicts the imminent end of the world. How much of it relays truth as the Mayans saw it and, more importantly, what did the Mayans know that we don’t?
In Colombia, Who Needs to Invent a False Victim, President Santos?
While Santos enjoys an official visit to the UK, his inflamatory remarks about a group of human rights lawyers who have worked for years to end impunity in Colombia, has left them fearing for their lives in Bogotá. What does this…
Gay Marriage Legalized in Argentina Despite Huge Opposition From Church
On Thursday the 15th of July, Argentina became the first country in Latin America to legalize gay marriage, granting to gay and lesbian couples the same legal rights and benefits that heterosexual couples have traditionally…
Making their Mark - the rise and rise of The Latino-Brits
First generation Latino-Brits are bubbling under the surface and seeping through into mainstream British cultural life.
Carlos Saura – A Flamenco Retrospective
The great film director's passion for Flamenco marked his career and helped force the arts establishments in Spain and abroad to give this great art form the respect it was due. Here we pay tribute...
The Change in the Latino Vote
Once thought of as natural Republicans, Barack Obama captured the hearts of Latinos in the last US election. But the words 'American Dream' are no longer enough, they want help to achieve it. In the run up to the 2012…
The Uribe Legacy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In his eight years as president Álvaro Uribe changed Colombia. But was it all for the best?
The President and the Miners
Chilean president enjoys his moment in the spotlight after rescuing ‘the 33’. But beneath the media coverage he is in danger of burying some more complex issues.
Venezuela Rising
As international artists hail Venezuela as ‘the future of music’ Candela explores why recognition has taken so long to come.
¿Viva la Revolución? What happened to Mexico’s Zapatista Movement...
“Excuse the inconvenience, but this is a revolution,” proclaimed Subcomandante Marcos on the 1st January 1994. But in 2010, is it just a mild inconvenience that the government and media readily ignore, or is the Zapatista…
Los Niños Vascos and The English Lord
In 1937, as Bilbao was being bombarded, 4,000 Basque children arrived in Southamption, thanks to some extraordinary individuals who defied the British government's official policy of appeasement (which ultimately contributed…