South America Audiobooks | Travel

The Dollar: How the US Dollar Became a Popular Currency in Argentina

Originally published in Argentina in 2019 and now finally available in English, Luzzi and Wilkis's acclaimed book traces the history of the economic, social, and political relevance of the dollar in Argentina and its popularization over the years. How did the dollar come to play such a leading role in Argentina's national existence? How and why did this global currency become a local currency on the other end of the Western hemisphere? Through the reconstruction of the social and cultural history of the US dollar in Argentina, Luzzi and Wilkis provide original insight into this sidebar of the dollar's history, showing how it became a 'local' currency even outside its country of origin.

Ariel Wilkis, Mariana Luzzi (Author), Kate Udall (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - La guerra del Paraguay: Una guía fascinante de una guerra sudamericana llamada la guerra

Explore la fascinante historia de una guerra que pocas veces se menciona en los libros de texto estadounidenses. La guerra del Paraguay de 1864-1870 fue la guerra más sangrienta entre naciones de la historia de Sudamérica. Descubra cómo el pequeño Paraguay tenía un tirano con un ego gigantesco y el mayor ejército del continente, y cómo y por qué invadió Brasil y Argentina. Entérese sobre la mayor batalla naval de la historia de Sudamérica y sobre la fortaleza paraguaya llamada el Gibraltar de Sudamérica. También conocerá cómo el rey de Portugal se trasladó a Río de Janeiro con su corte para escapar de Napoleón y cómo declaró a Brasil igual a Portugal. Aprenda cómo su hijo y su nieto se convirtieron en emperadores del Imperio independiente de Brasil. Descubra a Eliza Alice Lynch, la mujer irlandesa que fue amante de un tirano y poseyó más propiedades que ninguna otra mujer en el mundo. Quedará cautivado por su escandaloso amor por un tirano asesino y por cómo lo siguió hasta su muerte, enterrándolo a él y a su hijo mayor en una tumba que cavó en el barro con sus propias manos. En este libro, aprenderá lo siguiente: - Las misiones jesuíticas a los guaraníes, una teocracia independiente única en la historia. - El Dr. José Gaspar de Francia, o el Supremo, que obligaba a los visitantes extranjeros a permanecer en Paraguay el resto de sus vidas. - Carlos Antonio López, el Excelentísimo, que engordó tanto que no podía montar a caballo. - Francisco Solano López, el Mariscal, que pensaba que los pelotones de fusilamiento eran un desperdicio de balas y mandaba ejecutar a bayoneta o machete. - Cómo Uruguay y Paraguay sobrevivieron siendo vecinos de superpotencias. Haga clic en el botón «añadir a la cesta» para saber más sobre esta guerra relativamente desconocida pero muy interesante.

Captivating History (Author), Luis Trumper (Narrator)

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From Conquest to Colony: Empire, Wealth, and Difference in Eighteenth-Century Brazil

A new history of Brazil's eighteenth century that foregrounds debates about wealth, difference, and governance Transformations in Portugal and Brazil followed the discovery of gold in Brazil's hinterland and the hinterland's subsequent settlement. Although earlier conquests and evangelizations had incorporated new lands and peoples into the monarchy, royal officials now argued that the extraction of gold and the imperatives of rivalry and commerce demanded new approaches to governance to ensure that Brazil's wealth flowed to Portugal and into imperial networks of exchange. Using archival records of royal and local administrations, as well as contemporary print culture, Kirsten Schultz shows how the eighteenth-century Portuguese crown came to define and defend Brazil as a 'colony' that would reinvigorate Portuguese power. Making Brazil a colony entailed reckoning with dynamic societies that encompassed Indigenous peoples, Africans, and Europeans; the free and the enslaved; the wealthy and the poor. It also involved regulating social relations defined by legal status, ancestry, labor, and wealth to ensure that Portuguese America complemented and supported, rather than reproduced, metropolitan ways of producing and consuming wealth.

Kirsten Schultz (Author), Alex Picard (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - Otra Vez: Diario del segundo viaje por Latinoamérica

El diario del segundo viaje a lo largo de Latinoamérica de un joven argentino, revelando el afloramiento de un comprometido revolucionario conocido como 'el Che.' Esta secuela a Diarios de motocicleta incluye cartas, poesía y periodismo que documentan el segundo viaje latinoamericano del joven Ernesto Guevara después de obtener su título de la facultad de medicina en 1953. Revela como el joven argentino se transforma en un revolucionario militante, listo para comprometerse a la lucha guerrillera que Fidel Castro y sus compañeros están por lanzar en Cuba contra la dictadura del general Fulgencio Batista. Luego de viajar a través de Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador y Centroamérica, Ernesto es testigo del golpe de Estado inspirado por Estados Unidos en Cuba en 1954, el cual tiene un profundo efecto en su conciencia política. Huye a México donde conoce a Fidel Castro, marcando el principio de una colaboración política que provoca un cambio profundo en el mundo y en el Che. Incluye un prólogo de Alberto Granado, el compañero del Che en sus primeras aventuras a lo largo de Latinoamérica en una motocicleta Norton antigua, y presenta poemas escritos por el joven Ernesto inspirados por sus experiencias. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION The sequel to The Motorcycle Diaries, this book is Ernesto Che Guevera's journal documenting the young Argentine's second trip through Latin America, revealing the emergence of a committed revolutionary. These letters, poetry, and journalism document young Ernesto Guevara's second Latin American journey following his graduation from medical school in 1953. Together, these writings reveal how the young Argentine is transformed into a militant revolutionary. After traveling through Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, and Central America, Ernesto witnesses the 1954 US-inspired coup in Guatemala, which has a profound effect on his political awareness. He flees to Mexico where he encounters Fidel Castro, marking the beginning of a political partnership that profoundly changes the world and Che himself. Includes a foreword by Alberto Granado, Che's companion on his first adventures in Latin America on a vintage Norton motorcycle, and features poems written by young Ernesto inspired by his experiences.

Ernesto Che Guevara (Author), Gustavo Dardes, Ignacio Rodriguez De Anca (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - La revolución a dedo

Relato del viaje que Rimsky hizo a la revolución nicaragüense en los años ochenta, cuando apenas tenía veinte años. Escrito reflexivamente desde el presente, el breve, pero contundente texto de este libro está intercalado por los diarios (y fotos) que Cynthia Rimsky hizo durante su travesía. Se trató de un viaje tardío y decepcionante a la Revolución. Ya entonces la autora supo dar cuenta de su desconcierto y distancia crítica con lo que veía y oía, pero luego, al retomar esos textos y comentarlos décadas después, lo que tenemos es ya pura lucidez, humor negro, mirada crítica aguda; una inteligencia y comprensión cabal de lo humano, todo manifestado a través de una sagacidad narrativa única. Un texto vibrante, la mirada de una chilena incomparable y una realidad remota y turbulenta: la nicaragüense.

Cynthia Rimsky (Author), Zafiro Acevedo (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - El lado oscuro. Historia secreta de Chile

En la línea de su exitosa saga de divulgación histórica, el escritor Jorge Baradit observa aquellos episodios más escabrosos de la historia de Chile y nos relata de qué modo la maldad se ha hecho parte de procesos políticos y sociales desde el origen de la república. ¿Cómo contar nuestra historia sin asumir los periodos más oscuros? Jorge Baradit selecciona siete momentos en la historia de Chile y los retrata en su estilo. Los albores de la Independencia, el gobierno de Alessandri, el rol del argentino José de San Martín, Carlos Ibáñez del Campo y sus políticas, la persecución de los nazis que llegaron a Chile, la figura de Diego Portales y el actuar de la Dina desfilan en estas páginas como parte del lado b de una historia que no siempre nos llena de orgullo, sino que también de vergüenza.

Jorge Marcos Baradit Morales (Author), Orlando Alfaro (Narrator)

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The Big Book of Pyramids Worldwide

This book is intended as a survey of pyramids and possible pyramids worldwide. There are more than 50 different pyramids and sites reviewed. I’ve broken this information into three sections as follows: Best Known Pyramids-Those which are famous throughout the world and almost everyone knows about. Lesser Known Accepted Pyramids-These are real documented sites which experts agree are real pyramids but not that well known throughout the world. Possible Pyramid Constructions-These are likely pyramid constructions but not accepted by mainstream archeologists. Some are even the products of wishful thinking. However, all of these candidate structures I could find are included. Many of the pyramid descriptions are from publically available articles. Some of the descriptions are also from my analysis of the individual structures and constructions. In the book’s summary, there are also some discussions of other issues like pyramid ages, alignments, and who built them.

Martin K Ettington (Author), Martin K Ettington (Narrator)

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Empires of the Dead: Inca Mummies and the Peruvian Ancestors of American Anthropology

When the Smithsonian’s Hall of Physical Anthropology opened in 1965 it featured 160 Andean skulls affixed to a wall to visualize how the world’s human population had exploded since the birth of Christ. Through a history of Inca mummies, a preHispanic surgery called trepanation, and Andean crania like these, Empires of the Dead explains how “ancient Peruvians” became the single largest population in the Smithsonian and many other museums in Peru, the Americas, and beyond. In 1532, when Spain invaded the Inca empire, Europeans learned that Inca and Andean peoples made their ancestors sacred by preserving them with the world’s oldest practices of artificial mummification. To extinguish their power, the Spaniards collected these ancestors as specimens of conquest, science, nature, and race. Yet colonial Andean communities also found ways to keep the dead alive, making “Inca mummies” a symbol of resistance that Spanish American patriots used to introduce Peruvian Independence and science to the world. Inspired, nineteenth-century US anthropologists disinterred and collected Andean mummies and skulls to question the antiquity and civilization of the American “race” in publications, world’s fairs, and US museums. Peruvian scholars then used those mummies and skulls to transform anthropology itself, curating these “scientific ancestors” as evidence of pre-Hispanic superiority in healing. Bringing together the history of science, race, and museums’ possession of Indigenous remains, from the sixteenth century to the twentieth, Empires of the Dead illuminates how South American ancestors became coveted mummies, skulls, and specimens of knowledge and nationhood. In doing so it reveals how Peruvian and Andean peoples have learned from their dead, seeking the recovery of looted heritage in the centuries before North American museums began their own work of decolonization.

Christopher Heaney (Author), Christian Barillas (Narrator)

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Discourses of the Elders: The Aztec Huehuetlatolli A First English Translation

Western philosophers have long claimed that God, if such a being exists, is a personal force capable of reason, and that the path to a good human life is also the path to a happy one. But what if these claims prove false, or at least deeply misleading? The Aztecs of central Mexico had a rich philosophical tradition, recorded in Latin script by Spanish clergymen and passed down for centuries in the native Nahuatl language-one of the earliest transcripts being the Huehuetlatolli, or Discourses of the Elders, compiled by Friar Andres de Olmos circa 1535. The Discourses consists of short conversations between elders and young people on how to achieve a meaningful and morally sound life. Their core values relied on collective responsibility and group wisdom, not individual thought and action, orienting life around one's actions in this realm rather than an afterlife, distinctly opposed to Christian beliefs. Sebastian Purcell's proficiency in Nahuatl, which his grandmother also spoke in contemporary form, brings to light the Aztec ethical landscape in brilliant clarity. Never before translated into English in its entirety, Discourses of the Elders reflects the wisdom communicated by oral tradition and proves that philosophy can be active, communal, and grounded not in a 'pursuit of happiness' but rather the pursuit of a meaningful life.

Sebastian Purcell (Author), Gary Tiedemann (Narrator)

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History of Ancient Mexico: An Enthralling Guide to Pre-Columbian Mexico and Its Civilizations, Such

Chocolate, bouncy rubber balls, and the “Three Sisters” agricultural system—the people of ancient Mexico invented them all 3,600 years ago. They also built the world’s largest pyramid by volume and the sixth most-populated city without the wheel and without pack animals. Ancient Mexico introduced the first city, calendar, writing system, and aqueduct to North America. This audiobook unwraps the interrelated histories of ancient Mexico’s key civilizations. Learn about their mythology, warfare, art, architecture, and religion. How did they develop writing? What happened when the Spaniards showed up? This audiobook will keep you listening as it unwraps the stories of ancient Mexico’s colorful and fascinating history. A glimpse at the questions this overview answers includes: - Who built North America’s first city and invented chocolate and rubber balls? - Which culture developed Mexico’s first logo-syllabic writing by 500 BCE? - Who ruled an empire of six million people and worshiped a hummingbird god? - What was the Valley of Mexico’s first city-state, which was later buried under volcanic lava? - How did Aztec soldiers reach the rank of Jaguar warriors? - What tactics did Cortés use to defeat the Aztecs? - What did Mexico’s ancient people believe about creation, heaven, and the underworld? - How has ancient Mexico impacted modern Mexico and the world? To explore ancient Mexico’s historical legacy, scroll up and click the “add to cart” button!

Billy Wellman (Author), Jay Herbert (Narrator)

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[Spanish] - Porfirio Díaz. Su vida y su tiempo II: La ambición 1867-1884

Uno de los personajes más fascinantes en la historia de México. Porfirio Díaz. Su vida y su tiempo es la biografía definitiva sobre esta figura indiscutible de nuestra historia. Sin redimir ni satanizar, este libro es el mayor esfuerzo por contar las cosas como en realidad sucedieron. Al triunfar la República contra la Intervención y el Imperio, los liberales conquistaron el poder en México, pero fueron consumidos por la discordia, divididos con respecto de la reelección del presidente Juárez. Unos estaban a favor; otros estaban en contra. Los que estaban en contra postularon la candidatura de Porfirio Díaz, el general más popular del Ejército de la República, hasta entonces amigo y aliado de don Benito. Así comienzala historia que cuenta La ambición (1867-1884), continuación de La guerra (1830-1867), obra galardonada con el Premio Mazatlán de Literatura. El libro relata los años trágicos de Porfirio en la finca de La Noria; el fracaso de su rebelión contra Juárez; su paso por La Habana, Nueva York y San Francisco; las vicisitudes que vivió hasta triunfar en la revolución que lo llevó a la Presidencia. Narra con detalle la defensa que hizo de la patria frente a la amenaza de guerra con los Estados Unidos y rescata, también,el telegrama en clave donde ordenó reprimir la rebelión de Veracruz, que pasó a la historia con la frase Mátalos en caliente. Esta biografía retrata al rebelde y al estadista, pero también al hombre. Privilegia la voz de los protagonistas de los hechos, que escuchamosa través de sus cartas, sus diarios y sus testimonios, rescatados de los archivos por el historiador Carlos Tello Díaz.

Carlos Tello Díaz (Author), Miguel ángel álvarez (Narrator)

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The Book of Aztecs: Whispers of the Ancients — Unveiling Aztec Gods, Life, and Legends

From human sacrifices to staggering architectural feats, discover the fascinating civilization that still influences our modern daily lives. How much do you really know about the Aztecs? Although they sometimes sound like something more out of a storybook than a history textbook, the rituals and practices of the Aztecs helped them establish a massive empire that spanned miles and years. Understanding past cultures is essential to comprehend where we are going in the future. The traditions and cultures that came before us provide an engaging way to learn about and preserve the past through oral and written traditions. Cara. C.G understands how fascinating history can be and has compiled compelling information about the Aztecs that helps weave a rich tapestry of cultural achievement. In this book you will discover: - 14 of the major gods and goddesses and the fascinating mythology that shaped Aztec culture and religion. - Beliefs and rituals that reflected the ideals and goals of this ancient culture. - How the family unit functioned and the cultural constructs that determined how men and women acted across different classes - A comprehensive view of Aztec society – from economic and political functions to social and family dynamics - How the Aztecs entertained themselves and used fashion and jewelry to establish a sense of individuality - The real story behind the famed human sacrifices – and the mystery that remains over the true extent. - What the Aztecs ate, and how they made the most of the challenging terrain and environmental risks - From cacao bean to the most famous dessert in the world – discover how Aztecs spread the love and knowledge of chocolate across continents. Whether you're looking to deepen your understanding of the ancient world, share newfound knowledge with friends, or just want to discover something new, this is the book for you!

Cara C.G (Author), Deidre O'ree, Diedra O'ree (Narrator)

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South America Audiobooks in Travel