IN THE AMERICAS WITH DAVID YETMAN Season 8


#801: “Tlaloc's Revenge: Mexico City's Hydrological Heritage”
Five hundred years ago the basin where Mexico City lies was plagued with an excess of water. With fundamental alterations in social attitudes toward water, one of the world's largest and greatest cities comes to grips with falling water tables, exhausted springs, and sinking earth. Somehow the city endures.

#802: “Medellín: A Colombian Transformation”
Three decades ago Colombia’s city of Medellín was a symbol for violence and narco-trafficking. Massive government intervention and an indomitable will have transformed the city into what some call “The Paris of the Americas.” The city's arts and urban restoration are an inspiration to large cities worldwide.

#803: “Baroque pipe organs of Oaxaca”
Centuries ago Catholic religious orders from Spain created a Baroque culture among the Indians of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, overseeing the construction of elaborate churches and installing sophisticated pipe organs. Over the centuries the pipe organs ceased to function and deteriorated. An international group of specialists has restored many of the organs and treat us to concerts.

#804: “Ancestors of the ancient Mayas”
The archaeological site of Palenque in the Mexican state of Chiapas is Mexico's crown jewel of Classic Maya architecture. New radar technology penetrates the ground's surface and has revealed that two millennia before Palenque's rise to stardom, Mayas of the lowlands were constructing immense causeways and stepped temples. The same new techniques reveal tens of thousands of ancient structures previously undetected.

#805: “From the San Juans to Moab by mountain bike”
Connecting the San Juan Mountains of western Colorado and the Colorado River in Utah lies a route limited to hikers and mountain bikers. Bicycles are a lot faster, but it is not journey for the faint of heart—it's up and down mountains and valleys, from desert valleys to mountain forests. Our only refuge is huts.

#806: “Islands in the Desert”
In southern Arizona a handful of mountain ranges jut up from the desert, producing a dramatic change in landscapes and habitats. They are called Sky Islands because their higher slopes are wetter and harbor animals and plants not found below. We visit three of the best-known islands and talk with people who know them best.

#807: “Kites of the Dead in Guatemala”
Each November 2, native peoples throughout Middle America celebrate the Day of the Dead. On that day they visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried, freshening up gravesites and adorning them with flowers while gathered around the graves. In one Guatemalan town, the Kajchikel Mayas add a different dimension—a festival of kites. Kites by the hundreds are raised to the sky, including some sixty feet in diameter.

#808: “Under the Shadow of the Volcanoes”
Guatemala has more active volcanoes than any other country in North America. This portion of the famed "Rim of Fire" has left an indelible imprint on the landscape and on the cultures of the nation. With volcanoes come earthquakes and no city illustrates a greater heritage of both than Antigua. And no volcano has left a finer landscape than Lake Atitlán. Volcanoes destroy, however, and we visit a town recently overwhelmed by a nearby volcano.

#809: “Drought and New Realities in the Southwest”
The Southwestern United States has suffered under lingering drought more than any other region. We track the dwindling Colorado River from its source through the once brimming reservoirs that generated electricity and stored water for millions of users. Now the realities of drought and dwindling water confront forty million users. We follow the river and speak with those affected by the changes in climate and water supply.

#810: “Colombia’s Guardians of the Homelands”
Homelands of the Arhuaco and the Wayúu people of northern Columbia offer sharp contrasts. Arhuaco occupy the southern slopes of the gigantic and isolated Sierra Marta, while the Wayúus live in the semiarid Guajira Peninsula in the Sierra’s rain shadow. Both suffer from relentless incursions of outsiders, each responding with its own brand of resistance.