Central & South America

Partaking in an old but ambiguous rite, blue "devils" (in Paramin, with mouths colored by dyed bubble gum) offer spectators a deal: pay, or get rubbed with body paint.

Up Close at Trinidad's Carnival

What’s behind the raucous pre-Lenten rite? An intrepid scholar hits the streets of Trinidad to find out

Easter Island

The Statues of Easter Island

A riddle of engineering hasn't stopped archaeologists from debating how the giant carved stones were transported around the island

Tikal

The Mystery of Tikal

An ancient Mayan city, once hidden by overgrown jungle, evokes a childlike sense of wonder

None

Mexico

To the surprise of many, Pinochet's free-market reforms led to unprecedented prosperity and growth (Santiago, Chile's booming capital). With its thriving middle class and profitable exports, the nation today is poised to become Latin America's most economically robust.

Chile's Driving Force

Once imprisoned by Pinochet, the new Socialist president Michelle Bachelet wants to spread the wealth initiated by the dictator's economic policies

None

Venezuela Steers a New Course

As oil profits fund a socialist revolution, President Hugo Chávez picks a fight with his country's biggest customer the United States

On the lookout for enemies, a warrior named Ta'van leads a patrol through the jungle. Several hundred Indians—some never seen by outsiders—live in the Amazon's Javari Valley.

Out of Time

The volatile Korubo of the Amazon still live in almost total isolation. Indian tracker Sydney Possuelo is trying to keep their world intact

The Hatiguanico River, largely untouched by industry or farming, flows through the Zapata Swamp. Tarpon is the catch of the day.

The Nature of Cuba

Tiny frogs. Vast swamps. Pristine rivers. Whether by design or default, the island boasts the Caribbean's best-kept wildlands. But for how long?

Machu Picchu remained unknown to the outside world until the 20th century.

Winter Palace

The first major exhibition devoted to the Incas' fabled cold-weather retreat highlights Machu Picchu's secrets

Shadow Wolves officers (such as Scout and Nez) 
battle heatstroke and cramps in summer temperatures that can exceed 117 degrees.

Shadow Wolves

An all-Indian Customs unit possibly the world's best trackers uses techniques to pursue smugglers along a remote stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border

None

Tracking a Vanished People Through the Sierra Madre

In 1890, Carl Lumholtz pushed into Mexico, on a search for the ancient culture now known as the Anasazi. Instead, he found the Mogollon

None

The Granddaddy of the Nation's Trails Began in Mexico

The Camino Real, after languishing in the shadow of the Santa Fe, the Oregon and the California trails, is finally getting its due

Zulueta

A Year-End Night of Magic in This Cuban Hill Town

Was Zulueta a place of memory or of myth? When a journalist returns to his ancestral home to find out, the fireworks cast a spell

Page 6 of 6