Stories about Spanish from August, 2015
Why Indigenous Communities in Mexico Need Community Self-Defence
"Today, the community suffers not only at the hands of criminal groups but also at those of the Federal Police and the Army of Mexico."
Urban Planning Project Puts One of the World's Most Populated Cities to the Test
"Resident participation on projects like the [Cultural Corridor Chapultepec] must occur from the design stage and not once everything has already been decided. This is a sham."
Puerto Rico Organizes From the Bottom Up in the Face of Economic Crisis
Various civil society groups have started to come together to find solutions to the severe socioeconomic crisis that the Caribbean nation faces.
A Week Before a Huge Vote, Demonstrators Fill Guatemala's Streets, Calling For President to Step Down
University students, peasants, families, indigenous groups, artists, cities, towns, hospitals, and more are rapidly joining calls for President Otto Pérez Molina to step down.
Google's Optical Character Recognition Software Now Works with All South Asian Languages
Google's OCR software supports more than 248 world languages, including all the major South Asian languages, bringing together hope for the large-scale digitization of old texts.
Argentina Has Had Decades of Democracy, So Why Do the Disappearances Continue?
Despite 32 years of democracy, thousands of people—particularly women and young girls—are still unaccounted for in Argentina. And more keep disappearing.
It's About Time to End Female Genital Mutilation in the Only Latin American Country Where It Still Exists
Female genital mutilation is a practice usually associated with African countries, but in some indigenous communities in Colombia it's still being practiced.
Uruguay, Chile and Brazil Lead South America in Download Speeds
Uruguay had the best ranking in the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean's report, while Bolivia, Paraguay, and Venezuela came in last.
Ecuador Cancels Visa for a Franco-Brazilian Journalist Assaulted During Protest
"Hostility to journalists, the media and activists has increased in Ecuador, and attacks on freedom of expression are becoming more frequent."
Argentinians Keep the Memory of Dictatorship Victims Alive on the Web
For almost 40 years, Argentinian human rights movements have fought to preserve the memory of their disappeared loved ones, a struggle that has adapted for the Web 2.0 era.
Puerto Rico Celebrates the First Same-Sex Weddings—And It's About Time
After many years of hardships and struggle, same-sex couples in Puerto Rico can now formalize their commitment to each other.
A Trailblazing Media Outlet Fact-Checked the Peruvian President's National Address
Were the president's claims about his government's investment in education true? False? Misleading? Ojo-Público had the answer in real-time.
Raising Flags and Hopes
"We are witnessing a new era in Cuba. . . for the first time in my life there isn’t a specific enemy we're expected to fight at all costs."
Search Coordinator for Ayotzinapa Students Assasinated
Asesinan en #México a coordinador de búsqueda de 43 normalistas de #Ayotzinapa Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco http://t.co/WMgteMU0JM Fue @EPN — PrensaRebelde (@RebeldePrenssa) August 9, 2015 Miguel Ángel Jiménez Blanco, coordinator...
Painting Nails in Bolivia: A Job but Not a Living
There's no bonus or holidays or health insurance. Nail painters in Bolivia live each day at the mercy of God. How much do they earn? Not enough.
The ‘Escopetarra': A Killer Instrument
If you believe that nothing good can come from a rifle, then you have to get to know the “escopetarra”—a hybrid that transforms two “lethal” weapons (an AK-47 and a...
The Welsh “Y Wladfa”: A Rare Instance of Peaceful Foreign Settlement in South America
In 1865, 150 Welsh settlers disembarked from the ship chandler Mimosa in the Argentinian Patagonia, and laid the foundations for the American continent's only instance of peaceful colonisation.
Death of Pinochet's Secret Police Chief Uncovers Chile's Unhealed Wounds
Reactions after the death, in Chile, of the second most feared man of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship show a country still struggling to make peace with its past.
Making the Culture and Language of Peru's Nomatsigenga People Accessible and Enduring
The Cultural Archive of the Nomatsigenga Language and Culture promises to be a blueprint for indigenous knowledge preservation in South America.
Canine Passports and the People Making Money Selling Dogs to Brazil from Venezuela
"Many of those selling dogs do not care about their condition […] The majority arrive with falsified documents and have not been certified by a vet."
Puerto Rico Defaults on Its Debt for the First Time in Its History
As the government quickly runs out of cash, the future looks uncertain.
