Starbursts are events in which hundreds of solar masses per year of gas are transformed into stars on timescales much shorter than the Hubble time. They are essential in galaxy evolution as they are responsible for the largest part of the chemically enriched material in the interstellar and intergalactic medium where the metals have been deposited through stellar and supergalactic winds. The superposition of two stellar populations, young and old, and their complex structure make these systems difficult to study with traditional techniques. Instead, integral field spectroscopy, which offers simultaneous spatial and spectral resolution, is an ideal tool with which to analyze these systems. Here we outline the bases of an undergoing project carried out in collaboration between the IAC and AIP to study a sample of nearby starbursts.