Introduction: La Carta
Episodios 1 y 2
Welcome to the Journey
The story begins at La Gavia, a sixteenth century estate near Mexico City. Don Fernando Castillo Saavedra is very ill and recently received a letter that reveals new information about a secret from his life in Spain. His family gathers at La Gavia and don Fernando reveals that during the Spanish Civil War he married a woman named Rosario. When Guernica was bombed, Fernando thought that Rosario, who was pregnant, had died. But he recently received a letter from a woman in Sevilla named Teresa Suárez saying that Rosario didn’t die and it is possible that Fernando has another child in Spain. His brother, Pedro hires a lawyer from Los Angeles, Raquel Rodriguez to investigate.
Recursos para los episodios
Click on + signs below to access the textbook, workbook, audio recording, transcript, and other instructional resources for an episode.
About the audio files:
Episodios 1 y 2
La Gavia
Ciudad de México
Episodio 1: La Carta
Episodio 1: La Carta
Resumen del episodio (episode summary) – The mystery begins at the estate of La Gavia. Don Fernando Castillo, the elderly patriarch, reveals a secret he has kept for decades: he was married once before in Spain to a woman named Rosario. Though he believed she perished in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, a mysterious letter from Seville suggests she survived and may have had a son. Don Fernando’s brother, Pedro, hires attorney Raquel Rodríguez to begin an international investigation.
📖 Conceptos
Grammar: The verb “ser”. Subject pronouns and introduction to the present tense.
Other: Cognates, introductions, and basic questions.
📦Recursos
Episodio 2: El Secreto
Episodio 2: El secreto
Resumen del episodio – Raquel Rodríguez arrives in Mexico to meet the Castillo family and learn the details of Don Fernando’s past. She prepares for her journey to Spain, where she must find the author of the mysterious letter, Teresa Suárez. Meanwhile, the Castillo children—Ramón, Carlos, Mercedes, and Juan—struggle to process their father’s revelation and the potential implications for their family and inheritance. Raquel’s journey officially takes flight as she heads to Seville to track down the truth.
📖 Conceptos
Grammar: The noun gender system, definite and indefinite articles, and how to express possession.
Other topics: Family vocabulary; greetings and polite expressions; the pronunciation of the Spanish alphabet.
📦Recursos
Done with the Spain episodes?
✈️ Continue to Destination 1 España