On April 22, 1997, at 15:23, one of the world's most incredible military operations occurred on the planet, and you've probably never heard of it...


Operation Chavín de Huántar was a surgical military operation that took place after the MRTA (a far left-wing guerrilla movement) took close to 800 hostages at the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru. It was not just any operation, however, but one that required an extreme amount of preparation, patience, and care.

But after hearing more about its final results, you'll understand why I'm hyping it up so much and why, despite the noise-making from human rights campaigners that followed (who were nowhere to be seen when the victims were taken hostage by the armed men to begin with!), it was considered an astounding military success.


Find out more about exactly what happened that day (and everything that led up to it) in this week's incredible episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast!


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1270

Few names of Venezuelan gangs and cartels have made as many headlines as El Tren de Aragua, especially in recent months. Named a terrorist organization by President Trump's administration and called "the most disruptive criminal organization operating nowadays in Latin America" by an esteemed Colombian former vice-president, this gang is among the most dangerous in the world.

And the worst part is that they're not confined to Venezuelan borders, either - no, they're actually spread across South, Central and North America, having caused pain and suffering to migrants and natives all across the American continent, and they only seem to be gathering more and more power.

But how can they be stopped, and will there be a way for new measures to put an end to their terror? 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/1799

A wealthy and respected family... hiding dark secrets of kidnapping and murder behind the scenes. Nope, it's not your newest documentary on a streaming platform - this actually happened in Argentina in the 1980s, just after the right-wing state terrorism of Operation Condor, when a wide range of corrupt cops and torturers were left unemployed, and had to find another way to use their "talents".


Arquímedes Puccio was one such individual - previously a military intelligence member, he knew how to pick someone up and keep them imprisoned, but these skills were now useless in a more peaceful, stable Argentina. Or were they?


Let's find out in this episode of the Learn Spanish with Stories podcast, in which we discover how exactly Arquímedes found a new way to use his skills, and even involved his entire family in what would become one of Argentina's most famous cases of crime.


Transcript of this episode is available at: https://podcast.lingomastery.com/listen/1766