The Mysteries of Latin America Podcast

What does it really mean when people say the American Southwest “used to be Mexico”?

We're talking about Utah, Colorado, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada. The real history stretches across 1,000 years — long before the word “Mexico” even existed — through the rise of the Mexica (Aztec origins), native american history presences in what would become "America", three centuries of New Spain, independence, the Texas revolt, the ...

This episode dives deep into the real origins of Día de Muertos (or do you call it Dia de los Muertos?), The Day Of the Dead—from the ancient Mexica (Aztec) festivals of Miccailhuitontli and Huey Miccailhuitl, to the Spanish Catholic traditions that blended with them centuries later, creating a vibrant celebration that honors the dead with love, not fear and one of the most important celebrations in Mexican culture.

But isn't it j...

Did the ancestors of the Mexica—the people we often call Aztecs—come from the red rock canyons of Utah?

For years, legends have placed the Aztecs’ origin in a mythical homeland called Aztlán. But according to some researchers, Aztlán may not be mythical—or even Mexican. In this episode, I explore one of the most controversial and fascinating theories in Latin American history: Was Aztlán actually in the American Southwest?

We'll lo...

Top 5 Myths About Mexican Independence — and the Truth Behind Them

Hosted by Andrew Colón | The Mysteries of Latin America

If you're Mexican-American — or just fascinated by Mexico’s history — you’ve probably heard some creative versions of how Independence really happened.

Think Mexico’s Independence Day is Cinco de Mayo? Think Father Hidalgo shouted “¡Viva México!” and the next day everyone woke up free? Did Mexican Independence ...

THIS IS A MYSTERIES OF LATIN AMERICA SPECIAL PRESENTATION PODCAST INTERVIEW

Tequila isn’t just a drink—it’s the story of revolutions, betrayals, the Cuervo family empire, along with the Sauza family and other prominent names in the tequila industry. In this exclusive interview, author Ted Genoways reveals the hidden history of tequila and Mexico, and what they mean to each other and us today.

What if everything you thought you knew...

A little squiggle over the letter n has been around for more than 800 years — and its story involves medieval monks, a Spanish king, and tech companies that once tried to erase it from keyboards. Without it, “Happy New Year” in Spanish flips into something you definitely don’t want to wish your grandma.

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, Andrew uncovers the journey of the letter Ñ — from Roman scribes to medieval Sp...

The Lost City & the Monkey God Curse Hidden deep in the Honduran jungle lies one of the greatest archaeological mysteries of the Americas: a lost city whispered about for centuries... and a terrifying curse that followed those who found it.

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, we explore the real-life search for the so-called White City—also known as the City of the Monkey God. From Indigenous legends and Spanish ...

These aren’t just legends—they’re the stories I grew up hearing. In this episode, I’m taking you through 5 of the strangest and creepiest beasts from Latin America—from a serpent that swallows boats whole to a red-furred monster with a mouth in its chest. I’ve dug into eyewitness accounts, real reports, and the traditions that keep these stories alive. And the last one? It might be the weirdest thing I’ve ever covered.

– Andrew 🎧 ...

What if the first humans arrived in the Americas 20,000 years before we thought? In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, we journey to Monte Verde in southern Chile, where archaeologist Tom Dillehay uncovered fire pits, tools—and even chewed seaweed with human saliva—dating back nearly 15,000 years. This single discovery shattered the long-held Clovis First theory and changed our entire understanding of how the Americas ...

Long before the Mexica built the mighty city of Tenochtitlán, they believed they came from a place called Aztlán—a mysterious homeland hidden somewhere to the north. But was it real? Or just a story meant to turn exile into destiny?

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, I explore the legend, the migration, the gods who guided them, and the sacred signs that led them to Lake Texcoco. We’ll trace the roots of the Mexica ...

From perfectly carved jungle spheres to a ghost ship loaded with Inca gold, these five unsolved mysteries are hiding all over Latin America—and they still defy explanation.

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, I’m Andrew Colón, and I take you on a journey through:

• 🗿 The giant Olmec heads of La Venta, Mexico
• ⚫ The mysterious stone spheres of Costa Rica
• 🪨 Peru’s eerie Markawasi Stone Forest
• 🌎 Monte Verde, Chile—...

Most of us have been lied to about Cinco de Mayo. It’s not Mexican Independence Day. It’s not about tacos or tequila. So what is it really about?

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, Andrew Colón unpacks the real story behind Cinco de Mayo: a shocking military upset at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, how it came to symbolize resistance, and why it means so much more to millions of Mexican Americans today.

From a war spa...

Mexican scientist Jacobo Grinberg was once called “the Einstein of consciousness.” In 1994, he vanished—no note, no trace.

Was it a CIA cover-up? A voluntary transformation into a mystic?

In this episode, I revisit the mystery with new theories, new handwriting analyses, and—for the first time—real responses from Grinberg’s own family.

From his daughter Estusha to his half-brother Ari Telch, the people closest to him say we’ve been...

What if every shot of tequila carried 3,000 years of culture, survival, and resistance?

In this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America, Andrew uncovers the hidden story of tequila—from sacred Indigenous origins and pulque rituals to Spanish conquest and cultural mestizaje.

You'll meet the Chichimecas, Otomíes, Nahuas, and Mexica. Learn how agave was more than a plant—it was a survival tool, a spiritual symbol, and a gift from ...

"Mexico went to war with France… because of a bakery. Seriously."

"A French pastry chef in what’s now Mexico City claimed rioters trashed his shop in 1832. He demanded a whole of money’s worth of damages.

"Mexico blew him off. France stepped in…and demanded ten times the original amount…"

"When Mexico still said no? France sent ships, bombed Mexico’s most important port, and occupied the city.

All over a pastry shop…?"

"Or maybe—ju...

500 years ago, a treasure that was literally a king’s ransom vanished into thin air. Today, we may finally know where it is, and this is the story I’ll tell on this episode of The Mysteries of Latin America!

I’m Andrew, and today, we’re diving into one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history—The Lost Treasure of the Inca King Atahualpa.

We’re talking about a fortune so massive it could have changed the fate of an empire—gold ...

For years, elderly women in Mexico City were found dead in their homes—strangled, with no signs of forced entry. Fear gripped the city as whispers of a serial killer spread. But the truth was more shocking than anyone imagined.

The police dismissed key witness descriptions, wasted years chasing the wrong suspects, and failed to see what was right in front of them. When the killer was finally caught, the entire country was stunned.

...

This is the story of a man who got lost in the Amazon, before it was called the Amazon…

🔥 who found a river the size of an ocean… 🔥 Claimed he saw warrior women straight out of Greek mythology… 🔥 And somehow survived the deadliest jungle on Earth.

But was any of it real? Or was Francisco de Orellana just another Spanish conquistador willing to lie for gold and glory?

Stay with me—because what really happened on this journey migh...

Mexico has ghost towns, but not just any ghost towns.

One town sank beneath a lake, another was swallowed by fire and rock, one was cut off from the world by a bridge that now leads nowhere, and another? Its goes away,,,and keeps coming back.  

But the strangest of them all? It was one company’s way of saying, no más.

If you love stories like this, hit like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. Let’s dive in!)

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