At the heart of every Spanish-speaking community, the plaza is a place for people to come together and connect. Inspired by this metaphor, PLAZAS: LUGAR DE ENCUENTROS draws students into the study of Spanish by creating a meeting place in every classroom. Each chapter of this successful beginning Spanish program unites the latest in language research with the reality of students and classrooms today, providing opportunities for real-life communication using the rich and colorful threads of Spanish-speaking cultures. With each chapter students are transported to a Spanish-speaking country or region for an authentic, personalized cultural language-learning experience. With this approach, culture is embedded into every page of PLAZAS, giving your students an appreciation of different cultural practices and perspectives. This Third Edition features the increased use of visuals throughout to enhance authenticity, aid in comprehension, address the different learning styles of today's students, and ultimately promote acquisition of the language. Important Notice: Media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.