Apr 1, 2025
Discovering uses and small secrets of the diverse Spanish spoken in Mexico is one of the objectives of Español a la mexicana, a series of educational capsules for social media created and distributed by UNAM Chicago.
Thanks to the work of linguistics specialists and an enthusiastic group of students from various fields at UNAM, who contribute their community service remotely and at the campus, two seasons have been produced so far, with topics as varied as they are interesting, and they have achieved record-breaking reach: the first 10 episodes reached nearly 225,000 impacts or views on Facebook and TikTok.
This linguistic project of learning objects is part of the work done by the UNAM Chicago brand in teaching and spreading the Spanish language and culture spoken in Mexico, among both the U.S. community and heritage speakers—those who learned Spanish from their parents but whose primary language is English—although it is useful for anyone interested in our language.
The students who produced the series, with guidance from Erika Erdely, academic secretary of UNAM Chicago, and Claudia Muñoz, coordinator of the Spanish Department, come from programs such as Hispanic Literature and Linguistics, and Pedagogy, both from the Faculty of Philosophy and Literature; the Spanish Teaching program at FES-Acatlán; Communications at the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences and FES-Zaragoza; and Design from the National School of Arts and Design.
They are all part of the community service programs and the Academic Activity Abroad Degree Completion Program, which not only encourages them to complete their degrees but also gives them the opportunity to experience working in an international setting in one of the most interesting cities in the world, Chicago. The topics of the capsules are varied and well-explained.
For example, the pronunciation of the letter X, the use of diminutives commonly used by everyone, slang expressions like "chambear" or "compa," the use of "tú" and "vos," the use of the future tense... and many more.
The second season is now airing with a new production by the students, featuring new topics, but always with high-quality content. The next season will be a co-production with the Center for Teaching Spanish to Foreigners, aiming for a broader reach.
Every Thursday, a new episode of Español a la mexicana is released. Don’t miss them on the UNAM Chicago Facebook and TikTok.
