New Year's traditions in the Hispanic world!

Feliz Año Nuevo, or Happy New Year! 2024 has well and truly arrived, and the Hispanic world said farewell to last year with some amazing traditions and celebrations! To get on their level, have a read about five fascinating New Year's traditions from the Spanish-speaking world!

El Patio's scary Spanish-language movie recommendations!

Did spooky season get you in the mood for some thrilling filcks? Why not practice your Spanish as well? Read on for El Patio's top scary Spanish-language movie recommendations!

Celia Cruz, The Queen of Salsa

At El Patio Northcote, each of our classrooms is named after an artist from the Spanish-speaking world. The classroom right down the back in our Northcote Centre is named after Cuban singer Celia Cruz, known as "La Reina de la Salsa". Here we wanted to tell you a little bit about who she was and why we love her!

'Trick or Trial?' The Witch Hunt for Meigas and Sorginak

With the spooky season upon us, here are two bewitching tales from Northern Spain to get you in the Halloween spirit. Witches have always been a popular element of northern Spanish folklore, particularly in the regions of Galicia, Asturias and the Basque Country, a land where the mountains are high, the mist is thick, and there are plenty of caves for covens - the perfect recipe for witchcraft to thrive!

Tacos de Cochinita Pibil - Receta

This dish is one of the more iconic Mexican dishes. Straight from the Yucatán peninsula, its origin goes back to the pre-colonisation era, to the Mayan culture.

Spanish puns in images by Ingesman

Ingesman is one of our favourite Chilean illustrators - his work is so simple yet so funny. You might have seen some of his pieces on our Instagram account.

Here are some of our favourite Ingesman creations, with explanations and translations attached.

Enjoy the delightful world of Ingesman!

Robles' Revolution

Isidro returns to Australia with the fascinating story of Colonel Robles, a relative who lived a truly revolutionary life.
(In English)

La revolución de Robles

Isidro returns to Australia with the fascinating story of Colonel Robles, a relative who lived a truly revolutionary life.
(En español)

El tesoro (B2-C1)

The Treasure recounts the story - mixing fiction and reality - of the discovery in the late 19th century of the most important legacy of Visigothic Hispania*. Due to the complexity of the case and its ramifications over time, we are giving an outline of some historical facts in the hope of provoking curiosity about a story as unheard of as it is true.
*Hispania is the name given by the Romans to what is now Spain.
*The Visigoths were a Germanic people who occupied Hispania between 507 and 711, the year of the Muslim invasion.

Mujer sin nombre (B1-B2)

España, principios de la década de los sesenta (Presente, Imperfecto e Indefinido).

"Mujer sin nombre" es una historia sobre el desarrollo turístico en la costa del levante español y las consecuencias que tuvo en su población y paisaje. A la par, se nos presenta una mujer cualquiera que se queda sin su medio de subsistencia, sin que se le ofrezca ninguna otra alternativa que la de ir a servir a la ciudad. Esta historia, aunque inventada, podría ser la vida de muchas mujeres que tuvieron que abandonar sus pueblos para ir a trabajar de sirvientas a las grandes urbes.

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