What To Watch: Top Documentaries Exploring Latin American Culture

Spanish and Portuguese cultures are among the top ten richest cultural heritages in the world, according to a recent U.S. News ranking. It isn’t surprising, given that centuries of their influence can still be seen worldwide. Nowhere outside their home countries is this more prominent than in Latin America.

There’s a lot to discover in Latin American culture, from its corn and meat-heavy cuisine to its religious obsession with football (the FIFA one). So much so that documentaries on the subject are aplenty, namely on streaming sites. Here’s a look at what to watch on Netflix.

Peru: Tesoro Escondido

Name one thing Peru is most famous for, and most will answer the ruins of Machu Picchu. Peru: Tesoro Escondido (translated as Peru: Hidden Treasure) doesn’t deny the preserved beauty of its Inca heritage but wants the world to remember the country for more than that.

Directed by Uruguayan filmmaker Luis Ara, also known for Gonchi la Pelicula and Forever Chape, this 80-minute documentary provides a glimpse into the gems of Peruvian life that often escapes the public eye. He and his team spent eight months travelling across Peru, collecting essences of what life in the country means.

Paired with stunning visuals of Peru’s flora and fauna are glimpses in the life of four locals:

• A surfer that frequents the coastline near Lima
• A family that resides near Lake Titicaca in the Andes
• A shaman living deep in the Peruvian Amazon
• Mitsuharu Tsumura, Nikkei chef and owner of fusion restaurant Maido

In an interview with Peru’s official tourism website, Ara’s vision for the documentary was to showcase a part of Latin America and how beautiful and proud the people are of it. There’s more beauty to behold beyond the icons that define the region.

Break It All: The History of Rock in Latin America

Rock has an interesting yet tumultuous 70-plus-year history in the region. Apart from its growth to a sub-genre of rock called Latin rock, it’s a medium from which musicians have sent messages regarding sociopolitical issues and state-sanctioned oppression. For one time in the region’s history, rock became the target of repressive regimes.

Break It All: The History of Rock in Latin America explores this in detail, interviewing some of the most prominent Latin rock bands. Among these is Grammy-nominated Bajofondo, fronted by Gustavo Santaolalla who shared his experiences about how he, in his youth, had been incarcerated multiple times by Argentinian authorities.

The six-part docuseries also explores how this sub-genre isn’t afraid to explore dangerous waters in the name of freedom of expression. One example is a controversial performance in Avandaro in 1971 that involved performing songs that suggested illicit drug use and civil disobedience led to the Avandarazo, Mexico’s overarching ban on rock.

Street Food Latin America

Spanish and Portuguese influence is beyond apparent in Latin American cuisine, a hybrid of indigenous foodstuffs like corn and beans and the meat and poultry brought across the ocean from Europe. Other influences like Chinese, Italian, and Middle Eastern are present to an extent in some recipes like Argentina’s fugazzeta.

While Street Food in its entirety isn’t a documentary on Latin America, it allotted the entire second season on exploring the region’s cuisine. The six episodes explore the cuisines of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Colombia and Bolivia, in that order. Some of the featured dishes include tortilla, moqueca, memelas, ceviche, tamales, and papas rellenas.

The episodes also feature interviews with restaurant owners and food personalities such as Rodolfo Castellanos, the first winner of Top Chef Mexico, and Gaston Acurio, Peruvian cuisine ambassador. If you’re looking what to watch but feeling peckish at the same time, this documentary may just be your cup of cimarron.

Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World

The Mayan civilization was as culture-rich as it was enigmatic, and its rise was as shrouded in mystery as its decline. At the height of its power, it encompassed the entirety of modern-day southern Mexico to the frontiers of El Salvador and Honduras. Yet, one region that fully contained Mayan culture and influence was its heart: Guatemala.

The aptly titled documentary, Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World, takes viewers on a historical tour among the remains of a once-great civilization spread across Guatemala, from Sierra de las Minas to Esquipulas. It also explores the people and places that are still keeping the ancient culture alive in some form.

Wrapping Up

There’s a lot to love about Latin American culture, from its food to its music. Even if you haven’t gone to the region or don’t have the means to do so for now, documentaries are undeniably the next best thing.

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