At Mariposa Languages, we don’t measure success by worksheets or test scores. We measure it by the child who greets their teacher in Spanish before anyone asks them to. By the one who teaches their parents a new word at dinner. By the one who asks: “When is Spanish again?”
No pressure, no perfectionism — just a method built on stories, music, movement, and real culture that makes children feel like Spanish is theirs. Not a subject. Theirs.
When children feel that — they don’t just learn a language. They discover they can do anything.
Owned by Mariana Espinel in 2020 — right in the middle of a pandemic — MPL started as one woman’s refusal to let lockdown silence the joy of learning. Originally from Venezuela, Colombia, and Spain, Mariana is a journalist, communicator, and certified Spanish teacher, currently deepening her expertise in language school leadership at ELE International School.
What began as a single online class became a movement. Today MPL brings Spanish to life in 24+ primary schools across Hampshire and Sussex.
In 2025, Mariana became an official provider for the West Sussex County Council, delivering Hola Sport camps through the Holiday Activities and Food Programme — bringing Spanish, sport, and confidence to children who need it most.
Twice nominated for the King’s Trust Young Entrepreneur Awards
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Mariana lives by the sea with her cheeky dog Harry — who is learning to bark in Spanish, with mixed results.
Connect with Mariana on LinkedIn →
Our tutors don’t just come from the Spanish-speaking world — they bring it with them.
From Argentina,🇦🇷 Chile,🇨🇱 Spain,🇪🇸 Venezuela, 🇻🇪Colombia,🇨🇴 and Mexico,🇲🇽 each teacher carries their own accent, their own stories, and their own way of making a child laugh in a language they’re only just discovering.
They don’t teach from a textbook. They connect. And that connection is what makes Spanish stick.
All teachers are native speakers, DBS-checked, and trained in the MPL method.
