So there are all sorts
of stuff that work here.

Yeah, the rough
topography of the region.

Michoacánin southern
Mexico is known for its

rugged coast,
varied habitats,

tropical fruits and
believe it or not a town

where the craftsmen
continue a centuries old

instrumental tradition.

Funding for
The Desert Speaks

was provided by
Desert Program Partners,

representing concerned viewers
making a financial commitment

to the education about and
preservation of deserts.

And by the
Stonewall Foundation.

♪ music ♪

Several years ago I
purchased this guitar

in the state of
Michoacán, Mexico,

but I didn't see
how it was made.

Now it's time to
go back toParacho,

which lies in the lush
pine forests above the

dry deserts ofMichoacán.

A dramatic starting place
is in the shadow of the

Volcán de Colima, which
rises a couple of miles

high right next to the
state ofMichoacán.

Ecologist Alberto Búrquez
has never been here before.

He's not a volcanologist
but he does know a good

melon when he sees one.

Alberto, I know that
watermelons are from

Africa not Mexico
but it's hot.

They are delicious.

Yeah, they,
they look good.

Ah, well.

Y que aye? Cuanto
vale una bolsa?

Quince.

Quere con chile?

Si, con chile, tiene
que ser con chile.

So these are 15 pesos and
they are a specialty

You don't eat watermelon
just with watermelon or salt.

You put chile on it.
We're in Mexico.

Si. Okay.

Estan grande.

Ah, estan grande.

Rimones reales.

You know, I've been
in Mexico a lot,

I've never had it
like this before.

Delicious and refreshing.

Well, the salt makes
you want more though.

You don't need somebody
to tell you want more

watermelon, you
always want more.

And the salt will replace
some of the salt we have

been losing by the heat.

This is theVolcán de
Colima, one of

the most active volcanoes
in all of North America.

The visibility is pretty
bad today but when I was

here 2 years ago it let
out a great puff of ash

I think just for my benefit.

It doesn't look as if it's
gonna do a lot today but

the villages at the base
of the volcano are under a

constant state of alert
and could easily be

evacuated because the
volcanologists say that

any day now
it's gonna blow.

Even while I'm nervously
monitoring this shaky

mountain anticipating
an eruption,

Alberto is scouring the
ground for strange plants.

This issensitiva or vergonsosa
it's a sensitive plant.

It's in the legume family.

It grows in disturbed
places like this.

It has a property of
closing its leaves when

they are contacted by
herbivores and it's a way

of avoiding being
eaten by animals.

This plant is a
tropical plant.

It grows all
through the tropics.

This plant is related to
big trees like mesquite or

Palo Verdes or the big
lumber trees that grow in

the tropical forests.

On the coast ofColimaand
Michoacanhere it's very

different from just
a few miles inland.

I mean this is humid, hot,
they can grow bananas.

You don't expect to see
bananas in this area but.

I wouldn't.

Well, there's this long
dry season even in this

humid area and probably
they have to irrigate. Yeah.

To grow bananas.

You know, I asked the,
the manager here what

they're washing here.

I learned something
about bananas.

They have a little latex
that they give off,

and you can feel the
stickiness on the end of

it, and if they don't wash
that off here it attracts

fungi which then attack
the bananas while

they're being shipped.

So they get the dirt and
the gum they call it,

the latex, and then the
next bath gets anything else.

Now look at these
guys shirts.

They're all covered with that.
Amazing, yeah.

So I never knew what
that sticky stuff was

on bananas and now I know.

They have bags
around them.

What do you suppose
those are for?

I thought maybe to
guard against bats.

Well, bats will attack
them once the produce is ready.

Oh, but these
are green, yeah.

But these are green so
they are put there to

prevent the insect damage.

Any damage would just take
them out of market despite

the fact that they
can be quite edible.

Yeah, but they look ugly.

They will not look as
perfect as you would

expect in the shelves
of supermarket chain.

Look at the uniformity
of these bananas,

every one the same.

The ripeness, the length,
the attachment here.

I mean 1 banana resembles
virtually every other banana.

And they are the very
same genetic stock.

Most cultivated bananas
through the world share a

narrow genetic basis just as
other cultivated species.

And not only that this
uniformity is taken to the

extreme in this production
line in which they will

touch each of the "manos",
hands as we call em will

decide to a certain
number of bananas per "mano"

and will be padded neatly
with a nice label saying

banana something will go
to international markets.

So this is an industrial
operation. Absolutely.

And here on the
coast ofMichoacán.

For more than 100 miles
the Pacific Ocean crashes

up against the rocky coast
of the state ofMichoacán.

It is so mountainous that
until very recently

there were no highways.

Public access was very difficult
and development was limited.

As a result, big parts of
that coast remain pretty

much natural the way it's
been for thousands of years

and parts of it seem to resemble
very closely the Sonoran Desert.

Other parts resemble more
the southern margins of

the Sonoran Desert.

We're here in the end
of the dry season and

Michoacán, we're in what's
called tropical deciduous

forest, as you know
cause you're an expert.

But it looks like there's
this blanket of brown and

gray over everything except down
here in the arroyo bottoms.

But there's a
huge variety.

Well, tropical deciduous
forests are rich environments.

But you know there are
some trees I think I

wouldn't go up and touch,
particularly like this one

after what you've
told me about it.

This is the sandbox tree.

The what, the sandbox?

The sandbox tree.

This tree has a fruit
that is explosive.

So it can disperse.

Like a bomb?

Like a bomb but
it's really very,

very dangerous and it
disperses the seeds far

away perhaps 100, 150
feet away from the tree.

And you don't want to
go rushing up to it and

embrace this one either.

So I think I'll stay away
from this and warn my children

not to stay around when
the fruits explode.

Indeed.

Not a, not a tree to climb
unless you are pursued

by lions or something.

Angry lions.

I've noticed that up
on the hillsides in the

tropical deciduous
forests most,

I'd say 90% of the
trees, drop their leaves.

But down here in the
bottom most of the trees

seem to retain em.

Yes.

Well, that's because there
is water available here.

But a few of the trees in
the forest will keep the,

their leaves respective of
availability of water or not.

Now this one's got leaves
but if I remember this is

one you told me I should
probably not chew on.

This is what is called
very chauvinistically

mala mujer, bad woman.

Yeah. Yes.

And I think it's because
it's not a pleasant tree.

It's fierce and you should
not touch it unless you

want to get stung.

You know, it's just a
vicious looking plant and

you can see the individual
little spines that come

out and they're loaded
with venom, right?

They are very,
very dangerous.

They are of course loaded
with venom and if you

touch one of these it
will really hurt a lot.

You know, in that dry
season in a tropical

deciduous forest you don't
realize that when the

rains come it's a battle
of all against all to get,

get to the light and grow
and these scars here are

a good sign of that.

Well, this is what a
climber did to themala

mujerwhen trying to go
and seek light up there,

up in the canopy.

It looks like
it was a snake.

Well, in a sort, say, has
the same evil associated to it.

The climber doesn't want
the best in a trunk to

reach sunshine up in
the canopy so he takes

advantage of the already
existingmala mujer

to climb on, on it.

Cause more than 10% of the
whole flora are climbers.

These are remains of the
urafruit that's exploded

as you described.

See, it's now
torn into pieces.

And I, I'm just trying
to imagine what it's like

when they go.

Well, imagine this will,
it was straight when it

was in the fruit and
now it's all twisted.

So it dries and
curls as it dries.

And then explodes.

Amazing isn't it?

Well, they could, boy,
they hit you in the face

they could take
out a cheek.

If we were to continue
walking up this canyon

every 50 to 100 meters
we'd find something new,

maybe even something
that is new to science.

Diversity is not confined
to trees and plants in the

tropical deciduous forest
but also to animals.

In this case we can see
termites that live up in

the branches of this tree
they have their nest up

there and rarely
come down.

This highly varied
tropical deciduous forest

will give us surprise
after surprise.

The said thing is that
ecologists I think

worldwide realize that of
all the tropical habitats,

the tropical deciduous
forest is the most endangered.

There is
agreement on that.

Oh, and look at this.

This is what they
have in mind.

And this is what happened
to the tropical deciduous

forest that is to formed
for agriculture.

And 90% of the TDF
is now gone to this.

So this hillside,
when the rain hits it,

which will be soon,
there'll be nothing

to hold in the soil.

All the tropical deciduous
forest that was here is

destroyed and will be
replaced by buffle grass

or a greener grass, some
tropical grass that will

be used for cows.

So to get one or two more
cows we sacrifice 100

acres of tropical
deciduous forest.

And perhaps 100 tree
species that were growing

in this, in this area.

But that had medicinal
uses, that have food uses,

that can be used for
construction, for shelter,

for many things.

And all these, you see all
these nutrients that were

contained in the forest, will
wash away in the first rain.

Restoration of
this site will be,

will be very difficult
because it will lose the

nutrients and to start
again to establish a

forest as a one that was before
would be exceedingly difficult.

So there are all sorts
of stuff that work here.

Well, the rough topography
of the region makes these

valleys very special and
they are not very big valleys.

All of a sudden
here, boom, we're

out in the middle of
the a whole bunch of this

they call empitireshere.

Ah, the light's
really good on it.

Look, you can
see the fruits.

But there are thousands of
these plants and it's only

because this highway got
put in that we know about em.

Well, this valley of the
Balsas River is hard

to get to, it's
fairly unpopulated.

Because it's mountainous
there wasn't,

there's not much
irrigable land here.

So when, there was not
much here at all until the

government looked
at this and say,

"Hey, what a place to put a dam.

We can make an enormous
lake reservoir,

generate electricity and
then down on the coast

during, when it's not
in the rainy season,

we'll have water
for irrigation."

The problem is that at
the times which these dams

were built you could
not make such a big dam

without impacting awfully
the environment and they

destroyed unique habitats.

Well, thousands and
thousands of hectors,

tens of thousands of acres
of excellent habitat and

they flooded out a whole
bunch of villages and their,

their livelihood.

The small farms they
had, the ranches, gone.

Before the construction
of the dam very few people

came to this place.

Now you have a very fast
highway that goes along the

dam and connects the center
of the country with the coast.

The road climbs abruptly
out of the hot desert

lowlands into the cool
pine forests that once

covered centralMichuacán.

Well inside the pine
belt isParacho, over

7,000 feet in elevation.

Did you ever buy a
guitar inParacho?

No, I have not.

But everyone I know have
come toParachoand bought

an instrument here.

Not only guitars but
violins and violas and

other instruments
of the same kind.

Yeah, it's the string instrument
capital of Mexico, right?

It is.

And it is said that they
produce the best stringed

instruments in
the whole country.

Buenos tardes. Buenos tardes.

Aqui esta su taller?

Y esos son los lados? Lados.

So this is the back of the
guitar and the sides of

the guitar and each of
these reinforcements for

the body have a special
name depending where they

are or what
shape they have.

It takes me about 2
months to finish

the guitars like this.

I work on 4 guitars of differing
stages at the same time.

Some shops also make other
instruments likemaracas,

baleros, yoyos
and trompos.

It's a tradition
in this town.

This heritage was left to
us byVasca de Quiroga.

I'm not sure of
the exact date.

But he's the one
responsible for bringing

the guitar industry
toParacho.

He was one of the first
missionaries who came

from Spain.

The majority of the
population here

is indigenouspurepucha.

Each separate town was
taught a specific trait.

Here we learned
to make guitars.

InUruapanthey
make thebatteja.

The town ofSan Juanis
known for characteristic

Michuacánclothes.

Alberto I'm glad you've
finally found a good job.

Ah, this is really heavy.

(speaking Spanish)

This wood will
sink in water.

It's a relative
of the mesquite.

It's heavy.

Don't drop it
on your toes.

This wood he's had for
awhile but it grows in

the, in the hills,
apparently at an elevation

of about 2,000 feet
in southernMichuacán.

And look, look.

Boy, it does have
a rich color. Beautiful.

So I hear, I
didn't know this,

this is called the
diapason.

And you can see the
color's very similar.

He is usingclavijasand
clavijasare different

from the metal ones.

So these tune
from behind.

Hard woods and
they just fit.

Que bonito las
encrustaciones.

Yeah, inlay from,
made from shell.

Esta es de cahoma.

De cahoma.

Mexicana? Si.

So Mexican mahogany.

Again this is. So
this, when it is done,

will cost a little
bit under $1,500

but for all of the
work that's in it that

is not a bad price.

I really enjoyed looking
at how these men that

inherited 400 or 500 years
of culture are still doing

the instruments as they
were told by the friar

that came here
with the conquests.

How do you fill the place,
you visited it a long time

ago and now we see a
bustling city full of shops.

It is. It's a city now.

It was a small town but
it still, guitar, guitar.

It's clean.

Fiddle, oh.

Takes me back.

It's just seductive.

Buenos tardes.

Cinco años tiene esperando.

Si.

The guitars aren't just
simply made and sold.

A good guitar has to be
assembled and then aged

just as a very fine wine
or a good whiskey needs time.

(speaking Spanish)

So, I'm almost afraid to
touch it but this guitar

is 35 years old in the
making and it was just

about a month ago that
he put varnish on it.

It belonged to his father and it
still isn't finished.

The family started
out here in 1870.

So they have a little
experience making guitars.

And they can afford to
wait for 35 years

to finish a guitar.

My goodness.

Given that ancestry.

And it's a beautiful
object by itself.

So this is the first
guitar thatHeronojomade

while he was in school.

His grandfather is here
in the picture and his father.

Apparently it's a picture
from several years ago.

So if you want
to buy a guitar,

the first thing you should
look at is the wood,

the construction, but more
than anything else the tone.

It should be
strong like this.

♪ music ♪

Que persista.

He stresses a lot the time
it remains with the sound.

The reverberations within
the sound box itself. Right.

He mentioned also that
he was using a Mexican walnut.

Yeah, it's actually
walnut, yeah,

and it's gorgeous.

It's a beautiful guitar.

It is beautiful.

It's beautiful wood.

♪ music ♪

Parachois famous for its
guitars but not for

its guitar players.

Some people are
trying to change that.

♪ music ♪

We are going now to visit
the school for children,

boys and girls.

Boy, what a great idea.

This school was
designed specifically

for children to teach them
how to play the guitar,

to complete the cycle from
the construction of these

instruments to the
playing of the guitars.

The objective of the
school is to teach the

kids to play so this
cycle can be completed.

Currently there are 20
children studying guitar here.

The ages range
from 8 to 16 years.

This school has produced some
award-winning

young guitar players.

They have received national as
well as international awards.

The guitar is the icon,
it's the soul ofParacho.

The construction of
guitars inParachohas

evolved over
the centuries.

This evolution has
relevance with the players.

They too are evolving
with their talents,

with their artistic
expressions.

This is all happening
in this school,

which is the center for
research and development

of the guitar and the
guitaristahere inParacho.

The pine forest, tropical
deciduous forest and

deserts of the southern
part of the state of

Michuacánare among the
richest in the world and

scientists are only
beginning to appreciate

the vast diversity
that occurs here.

At the same time
development has arrived

and is exploding
in its influence.

The challenge to Mexicans
will be to make sure that

the natural values are
somehow protected as

almost unhindered
development hits the region.

Next time on
The Desert Speaks.

It's tall.

It's distinctive.

It's like the palm of your hand,

raditates out from a
central point.

It's graceful.

It's popular.

These are vicious spines.

And parts of it are delicious.

♪ music ♪

Funding for
The Desert Speaks

was provided by
Desert Program Partners,

representing concerned viewers
making a financial commitment

to the education about and
preservation of deserts.

And by the
Stonewall Foundation.

Copies of the Desert
Speaks are available from KUAT.

To order, call 1-800-841-5923

and please be sure to mention
the episode number.

For more information
visitThe Desert Speaks
on-line at this address.