Mexico is no stranger to cartel-related violence, and early in 2026, we witnessed how the death of a cartel leader caused an explosion of terror across 12 states - businesses burned, roads blocked off, and even an airport being attacked.

Flights were canceled, transport was paralyzed, and kids had to stay home, as the situation was not only unpredictable but also highly volatile, with the cartel presence embedded deeply in each and every local community in one way or another.

But who was the leader whose death caused this all? This Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, AKA 'El Mencho'? Why did he command so much respect, and how high had he been not only on Mexico's but the global Most Wanted list? Today, we'll find out in the latest episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5363

Bad Bunny. A name, a personality, a legend (maybe)? Everyone knows him, everybody feels something towards him, whether it's love, admiration, or pure rejection. He's the face for Latin American music right now, and he seems to be skyrocketing towards more and more success as the years pass.

But what's the story behind this singer, this "Conejo Malo" whose real name is Benito Antonio? It's about time somebody told the story behind his nickname, his origins, the timeline that took him from school notes to Super Bowl, and why he's now a global phenomenon.

And that's exactly what we're doing in this week's episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast - enjoy!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5330

Living in Latin America, you'll hear the following nostalgic phrase at least once in your lifetime (especially if somebody is complaining about laziness or bad habits): "If only we had been colonized by the Brits..."

This belief, shared by a certain portion of the Latin American region and often used when looking north at the vastly superior technological development achieved in the United States, is an expression of the infamous frustrations toward everything that is wrong with Latin America and often blamed on the Spanish colonization: corruption, a lack of work ethic, mediocrity, violence...

So, in this episode, we actually go ahead and rewrite history - to tell the story of "What if" the British had been the ones to arrive on Caribbean and South American shores instead of the Spanish (actually, we've made Christopher Columbus a British sympathizer here, for the sake of simplicity) - and how that would have affected the entirety not only of the region, but of the world.

Enjoy the episode and don't forget - it's all playful fiction!

Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/5297