1
00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:02,626
So there are all sorts 
of stuff that work here.

2
00:00:02,626 --> 00:00:04,083
Yeah, the rough 
topography of the region.

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00:00:04,083 --> 00:00:06,876
Michoacánin southern 
Mexico is known for its

4
00:00:06,876 --> 00:00:12,584
rugged coast, 
varied habitats,

5
00:00:12,584 --> 00:00:18,167
tropical fruits and 
believe it or not a town

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00:00:18,167 --> 00:00:21,751
where the craftsmen 
continue a centuries old

7
00:00:21,751 --> 00:00:27,999
instrumental tradition.

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00:00:29,501 --> 00:00:31,999
Funding for 
The Desert Speaks

9
00:00:31,999 --> 00:00:34,083
was provided by 
Desert Program Partners,

10
00:00:34,083 --> 00:00:37,501
representing concerned viewers 
making a financial commitment

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00:00:37,501 --> 00:00:42,042
to the education about and 
preservation of deserts.

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00:00:42,042 --> 00:00:46,501
And by the 
Stonewall Foundation.

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♪ music ♪

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Several years ago I 
purchased this guitar

15
00:01:21,999 --> 00:01:26,250
in the state of 
Michoacán, Mexico,

16
00:01:26,250 --> 00:01:30,209
but I didn't see 
how it was made.

17
00:01:30,209 --> 00:01:33,626
Now it's time to 
go back toParacho,

18
00:01:33,626 --> 00:01:37,751
which lies in the lush 
pine forests above the

19
00:01:37,751 --> 00:01:43,417
dry deserts ofMichoacán.

20
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A dramatic starting place 
is in the shadow of the

21
00:01:49,125 --> 00:01:52,542
Volcán de Colima, which 
rises a couple of miles

22
00:01:52,542 --> 00:01:57,250
high right next to the 
state ofMichoacán.

23
00:01:57,250 --> 00:02:00,999
Ecologist Alberto Búrquez 
has never been here before.

24
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He's not a volcanologist 
but he does know a good

25
00:02:04,792 --> 00:02:09,209
melon when he sees one.

26
00:02:09,209 --> 00:02:13,999
Alberto, I know that 
watermelons are from

27
00:02:13,999 --> 00:02:17,417
Africa not Mexico 
but it's hot.

28
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They are delicious.

29
00:02:19,042 --> 00:02:20,999
Yeah, they, 
they look good.

30
00:02:20,999 --> 00:02:22,709
Ah, well.

31
00:02:22,709 --> 00:02:25,999
Y que aye? Cuanto 
vale una bolsa?

32
00:02:25,999 --> 00:02:26,999
Quince.

33
00:02:26,999 --> 00:02:28,167
Quere con chile?

34
00:02:28,167 --> 00:02:30,125
Si, con chile, tiene 
 que ser con chile.

35
00:02:30,125 --> 00:02:32,834
So these are 15 pesos and 
they are a specialty

36
00:02:32,834 --> 00:02:35,999
You don't eat watermelon 
just with watermelon or salt.

37
00:02:35,999 --> 00:02:38,250
You put chile on it. 
We're in Mexico.

38
00:02:38,250 --> 00:02:39,959
Si. Okay.

39
00:02:39,959 --> 00:02:41,042
Estan grande.

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00:02:41,042 --> 00:02:42,834
Ah, estan grande.

41
00:02:42,834 --> 00:02:44,000
Rimones reales.

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00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:45,999
You know, I've been 
in Mexico a lot,

43
00:02:45,999 --> 00:02:48,042
I've never had it 
like this before.

44
00:02:48,042 --> 00:02:49,834
Delicious and refreshing.

45
00:02:49,834 --> 00:02:51,501
Well, the salt makes 
you want more though.

46
00:02:51,501 --> 00:02:54,999
You don't need somebody 
to tell you want more

47
00:02:54,999 --> 00:02:57,417
watermelon, you 
always want more.

48
00:02:57,417 --> 00:03:00,709
And the salt will replace 
some of the salt we have

49
00:03:00,709 --> 00:03:04,417
been losing by the heat.

50
00:03:09,999 --> 00:03:11,834
This is theVolcán de 
Colima, one of

51
00:03:11,834 --> 00:03:14,667
the most active volcanoes 
in all of North America.

52
00:03:14,667 --> 00:03:17,292
The visibility is pretty 
bad today but when I was

53
00:03:17,292 --> 00:03:20,542
here 2 years ago it let 
out a great puff of ash

54
00:03:20,542 --> 00:03:22,626
I think just for my benefit.

55
00:03:22,626 --> 00:03:25,584
It doesn't look as if it's 
gonna do a lot today but

56
00:03:25,584 --> 00:03:28,209
the villages at the base 
of the volcano are under a

57
00:03:28,209 --> 00:03:31,042
constant state of alert 
and could easily be

58
00:03:31,042 --> 00:03:36,209
evacuated because the 
volcanologists say that

59
00:03:36,209 --> 00:03:41,334
any day now 
it's gonna blow.

60
00:03:41,334 --> 00:03:44,125
Even while I'm nervously 
monitoring this shaky

61
00:03:44,125 --> 00:03:46,999
mountain anticipating 
an eruption,

62
00:03:46,999 --> 00:03:52,083
Alberto is scouring the 
ground for strange plants.

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00:03:52,083 --> 00:03:57,209
This issensitiva or vergonsosa 
 it's a sensitive plant.

64
00:03:57,209 --> 00:03:59,292
It's in the legume family.

65
00:03:59,292 --> 00:04:02,918
It grows in disturbed 
places like this.

66
00:04:02,918 --> 00:04:06,751
It has a property of 
closing its leaves when

67
00:04:06,751 --> 00:04:10,792
they are contacted by 
herbivores and it's a way

68
00:04:10,792 --> 00:04:14,792
of avoiding being 
eaten by animals.

69
00:04:14,792 --> 00:04:17,751
This plant is a 
tropical plant.

70
00:04:17,751 --> 00:04:20,751
It grows all 
through the tropics.

71
00:04:20,751 --> 00:04:24,250
This plant is related to 
big trees like mesquite or

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00:04:24,250 --> 00:04:27,626
Palo Verdes or the big 
lumber trees that grow in

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00:04:27,626 --> 00:04:34,792
the tropical forests.

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00:04:36,999 --> 00:04:40,501
On the coast ofColimaand 
Michoacanhere it's very

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00:04:40,501 --> 00:04:47,292
different from just 
a few miles inland.

76
00:04:47,292 --> 00:04:50,000
I mean this is humid, hot, 
they can grow bananas.

77
00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:53,000
You don't expect to see 
bananas in this area but.

78
00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:53,584
I wouldn't.

79
00:04:53,584 --> 00:04:55,667
Well, there's this long 
dry season even in this

80
00:04:55,667 --> 00:05:00,709
humid area and probably 
they have to irrigate. Yeah.

81
00:05:00,709 --> 00:05:02,250
To grow bananas.

82
00:05:02,250 --> 00:05:06,000
You know, I asked the, 
the manager here what

83
00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:07,250
they're washing here.

84
00:05:07,250 --> 00:05:09,125
I learned something 
about bananas.

85
00:05:09,125 --> 00:05:11,751
They have a little latex 
that they give off,

86
00:05:11,751 --> 00:05:13,999
and you can feel the 
stickiness on the end of

87
00:05:13,999 --> 00:05:16,334
it, and if they don't wash 
that off here it attracts

88
00:05:16,334 --> 00:05:19,626
fungi which then attack 
the bananas while

89
00:05:19,626 --> 00:05:21,209
they're being shipped.

90
00:05:21,209 --> 00:05:24,250
So they get the dirt and 
the gum they call it,

91
00:05:24,250 --> 00:05:26,959
the latex, and then the 
next bath gets anything else.

92
00:05:26,959 --> 00:05:29,792
Now look at these 
guys shirts.

93
00:05:29,792 --> 00:05:32,999
They're all covered with that. 
Amazing, yeah.

94
00:05:32,999 --> 00:05:35,417
So I never knew what 
that sticky stuff was

95
00:05:35,417 --> 00:05:40,626
on bananas and now I know.

96
00:05:40,626 --> 00:05:46,417
They have bags 
around them.

97
00:05:46,417 --> 00:05:48,999
What do you suppose 
those are for?

98
00:05:48,999 --> 00:05:51,459
I thought maybe to 
guard against bats.

99
00:05:51,459 --> 00:05:54,999
Well, bats will attack 
them once the produce is ready.

100
00:05:54,999 --> 00:05:56,751
Oh, but these 
are green, yeah.

101
00:05:56,751 --> 00:05:58,999
But these are green so 
they are put there to

102
00:05:58,999 --> 00:06:01,042
prevent the insect damage.

103
00:06:01,042 --> 00:06:03,999
Any damage would just take 
them out of market despite

104
00:06:03,999 --> 00:06:07,501
the fact that they 
can be quite edible.

105
00:06:07,501 --> 00:06:08,918
Yeah, but they look ugly.

106
00:06:08,918 --> 00:06:10,999
They will not look as 
perfect as you would

107
00:06:10,999 --> 00:06:15,999
expect in the shelves 
of supermarket chain.

108
00:06:15,999 --> 00:06:18,334
Look at the uniformity 
of these bananas,

109
00:06:18,334 --> 00:06:20,542
every one the same.

110
00:06:20,542 --> 00:06:25,000
The ripeness, the length, 
the attachment here.

111
00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,584
I mean 1 banana resembles 
virtually every other banana.

112
00:06:28,584 --> 00:06:31,375
And they are the very 
same genetic stock.

113
00:06:31,375 --> 00:06:35,876
Most cultivated bananas 
through the world share a

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00:06:35,876 --> 00:06:40,999
narrow genetic basis just as 
other cultivated species.

115
00:06:40,999 --> 00:06:44,250
And not only that this 
uniformity is taken to the

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00:06:44,250 --> 00:06:46,999
extreme in this production 
line in which they will

117
00:06:46,999 --> 00:06:51,167
touch each of the "manos", 
hands as we call em will

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00:06:51,167 --> 00:06:55,999
decide to a certain 
number of bananas per "mano"

119
00:06:55,999 --> 00:06:58,292
and will be padded neatly 
with a nice label saying

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00:06:58,292 --> 00:07:02,876
banana something will go 
to international markets.

121
00:07:02,876 --> 00:07:05,751
So this is an industrial 
operation. Absolutely.

122
00:07:05,751 --> 00:07:10,292
And here on the 
coast ofMichoacán.

123
00:07:19,125 --> 00:07:25,125
For more than 100 miles 
the Pacific Ocean crashes

124
00:07:25,125 --> 00:07:30,083
up against the rocky coast 
of the state ofMichoacán.

125
00:07:30,083 --> 00:07:32,999
It is so mountainous that 
until very recently

126
00:07:32,999 --> 00:07:33,999
there were no highways.

127
00:07:33,999 --> 00:07:38,417
Public access was very difficult 
and development was limited.

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00:07:38,417 --> 00:07:41,709
As a result, big parts of 
that coast remain pretty

129
00:07:41,709 --> 00:07:44,626
much natural the way it's 
been for thousands of years

130
00:07:44,626 --> 00:07:53,417
and parts of it seem to resemble 
very closely the Sonoran Desert.

131
00:08:01,250 --> 00:08:04,459
Other parts resemble more 
the southern margins of

132
00:08:04,459 --> 00:08:08,334
the Sonoran Desert.

133
00:08:08,334 --> 00:08:10,501
We're here in the end 
of the dry season and

134
00:08:10,501 --> 00:08:13,167
Michoacán, we're in what's 
called tropical deciduous

135
00:08:13,167 --> 00:08:15,999
forest, as you know 
cause you're an expert.

136
00:08:15,999 --> 00:08:19,125
But it looks like there's 
this blanket of brown and

137
00:08:19,125 --> 00:08:23,834
gray over everything except down 
here in the arroyo bottoms.

138
00:08:23,834 --> 00:08:25,584
But there's a 
huge variety.

139
00:08:25,584 --> 00:08:29,292
Well, tropical deciduous 
forests are rich environments.

140
00:08:29,292 --> 00:08:32,999
But you know there are 
some trees I think I

141
00:08:32,999 --> 00:08:35,792
wouldn't go up and touch, 
particularly like this one

142
00:08:35,792 --> 00:08:38,000
after what you've 
told me about it.

143
00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,292
This is the sandbox tree.

144
00:08:40,292 --> 00:08:41,999
The what, the sandbox?

145
00:08:41,999 --> 00:08:42,999
The sandbox tree.

146
00:08:42,999 --> 00:08:46,876
This tree has a fruit 
that is explosive.

147
00:08:46,876 --> 00:08:48,000
So it can disperse.

148
00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:48,999
Like a bomb?

149
00:08:48,999 --> 00:08:50,417
Like a bomb but 
it's really very,

150
00:08:50,417 --> 00:08:52,999
very dangerous and it 
disperses the seeds far

151
00:08:52,999 --> 00:08:56,999
away perhaps 100, 150 
feet away from the tree.

152
00:08:56,999 --> 00:08:59,417
And you don't want to 
go rushing up to it and

153
00:08:59,417 --> 00:09:00,918
embrace this one either.

154
00:09:00,918 --> 00:09:03,459
So I think I'll stay away 
from this and warn my children

155
00:09:03,459 --> 00:09:06,375
not to stay around when 
the fruits explode.

156
00:09:06,375 --> 00:09:06,876
Indeed.

157
00:09:06,876 --> 00:09:09,999
Not a, not a tree to climb 
unless you are pursued

158
00:09:09,999 --> 00:09:12,459
by lions or something.

159
00:09:12,459 --> 00:09:13,209
Angry lions.

160
00:09:13,209 --> 00:09:15,792
I've noticed that up 
on the hillsides in the

161
00:09:15,792 --> 00:09:16,999
tropical deciduous 
forests most,

162
00:09:16,999 --> 00:09:19,709
I'd say 90% of the 
trees, drop their leaves.

163
00:09:19,709 --> 00:09:23,417
But down here in the 
bottom most of the trees

164
00:09:23,417 --> 00:09:25,918
seem to retain em.

165
00:09:25,918 --> 00:09:26,999
Yes.

166
00:09:26,999 --> 00:09:31,375
Well, that's because there 
is water available here.

167
00:09:31,375 --> 00:09:34,083
But a few of the trees in 
the forest will keep the,

168
00:09:34,083 --> 00:09:38,918
their leaves respective of 
availability of water or not.

169
00:09:38,918 --> 00:09:42,459
Now this one's got leaves 
but if I remember this is

170
00:09:42,459 --> 00:09:46,375
one you told me I should 
probably not chew on.

171
00:09:46,375 --> 00:09:48,876
This is what is called 
very chauvinistically

172
00:09:48,876 --> 00:09:51,375
mala mujer, bad woman.

173
00:09:51,375 --> 00:09:51,876
Yeah. Yes.

174
00:09:51,876 --> 00:09:53,999
And I think it's because 
it's not a pleasant tree.

175
00:09:53,999 --> 00:09:56,626
It's fierce and you should 
not touch it unless you

176
00:09:56,626 --> 00:09:59,542
want to get stung.

177
00:09:59,542 --> 00:10:01,667
You know, it's just a 
vicious looking plant and

178
00:10:01,667 --> 00:10:04,999
you can see the individual 
little spines that come

179
00:10:04,999 --> 00:10:08,209
out and they're loaded 
with venom, right?

180
00:10:08,209 --> 00:10:11,334
They are very, 
very dangerous.

181
00:10:11,334 --> 00:10:14,083
They are of course loaded 
with venom and if you

182
00:10:14,083 --> 00:10:22,999
touch one of these it 
will really hurt a lot.

183
00:10:27,999 --> 00:10:30,292
You know, in that dry 
season in a tropical

184
00:10:30,292 --> 00:10:32,918
deciduous forest you don't 
realize that when the

185
00:10:32,918 --> 00:10:35,751
rains come it's a battle 
of all against all to get,

186
00:10:35,751 --> 00:10:39,042
get to the light and grow 
and these scars here are

187
00:10:39,042 --> 00:10:41,083
a good sign of that.

188
00:10:41,083 --> 00:10:43,999
Well, this is what a 
climber did to themala

189
00:10:43,999 --> 00:10:49,999
mujerwhen trying to go 
and seek light up there,

190
00:10:49,999 --> 00:10:51,584
up in the canopy.

191
00:10:51,584 --> 00:10:53,000
It looks like 
it was a snake.

192
00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:57,959
Well, in a sort, say, has 
the same evil associated to it.

193
00:10:57,959 --> 00:11:02,709
The climber doesn't want 
the best in a trunk to

194
00:11:02,709 --> 00:11:05,999
reach sunshine up in 
the canopy so he takes

195
00:11:05,999 --> 00:11:10,459
advantage of the already 
existingmala mujer

196
00:11:10,459 --> 00:11:12,626
to climb on, on it.

197
00:11:12,626 --> 00:11:17,751
Cause more than 10% of the 
whole flora are climbers.

198
00:11:17,751 --> 00:11:21,542
These are remains of the 
urafruit that's exploded

199
00:11:21,542 --> 00:11:23,751
as you described.

200
00:11:23,751 --> 00:11:26,083
See, it's now 
torn into pieces.

201
00:11:26,083 --> 00:11:28,918
And I, I'm just trying 
to imagine what it's like

202
00:11:28,918 --> 00:11:29,918
when they go.

203
00:11:29,918 --> 00:11:32,667
Well, imagine this will, 
it was straight when it

204
00:11:32,667 --> 00:11:36,792
was in the fruit and 
now it's all twisted.

205
00:11:36,792 --> 00:11:38,792
So it dries and 
curls as it dries.

206
00:11:38,792 --> 00:11:40,999
And then explodes.

207
00:11:40,999 --> 00:11:42,501
Amazing isn't it?

208
00:11:42,501 --> 00:11:44,626
Well, they could, boy, 
they hit you in the face

209
00:11:44,626 --> 00:11:49,918
they could take 
out a cheek.

210
00:11:49,918 --> 00:11:52,999
If we were to continue 
walking up this canyon

211
00:11:52,999 --> 00:11:57,042
every 50 to 100 meters 
we'd find something new,

212
00:11:57,042 --> 00:11:59,834
maybe even something 
that is new to science.

213
00:11:59,834 --> 00:12:03,834
Diversity is not confined 
to trees and plants in the

214
00:12:03,834 --> 00:12:08,125
tropical deciduous forest 
but also to animals.

215
00:12:08,125 --> 00:12:10,584
In this case we can see 
termites that live up in

216
00:12:10,584 --> 00:12:14,167
the branches of this tree 
they have their nest up

217
00:12:14,167 --> 00:12:19,542
there and rarely 
come down.

218
00:12:19,542 --> 00:12:24,000
This highly varied 
tropical deciduous forest

219
00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:29,667
will give us surprise 
after surprise.

220
00:12:29,667 --> 00:12:32,959
The said thing is that 
ecologists I think

221
00:12:32,959 --> 00:12:36,000
worldwide realize that of 
all the tropical habitats,

222
00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:39,959
the tropical deciduous 
forest is the most endangered.

223
00:12:39,959 --> 00:12:41,999
There is 
agreement on that.

224
00:12:41,999 --> 00:12:43,292
Oh, and look at this.

225
00:12:43,292 --> 00:12:46,042
This is what they 
have in mind.

226
00:12:46,042 --> 00:12:49,959
And this is what happened 
to the tropical deciduous

227
00:12:49,959 --> 00:12:53,667
forest that is to formed 
for agriculture.

228
00:12:53,667 --> 00:13:00,542
And 90% of the TDF 
is now gone to this.

229
00:13:00,542 --> 00:13:02,584
So this hillside, 
when the rain hits it,

230
00:13:02,584 --> 00:13:04,999
which will be soon, 
there'll be nothing

231
00:13:04,999 --> 00:13:06,083
to hold in the soil.

232
00:13:06,083 --> 00:13:08,292
All the tropical deciduous 
forest that was here is

233
00:13:08,292 --> 00:13:10,417
destroyed and will be 
replaced by buffle grass

234
00:13:10,417 --> 00:13:13,334
or a greener grass, some 
tropical grass that will

235
00:13:13,334 --> 00:13:14,999
be used for cows.

236
00:13:14,999 --> 00:13:17,999
So to get one or two more 
cows we sacrifice 100

237
00:13:17,999 --> 00:13:20,999
acres of tropical 
deciduous forest.

238
00:13:20,999 --> 00:13:24,459
And perhaps 100 tree 
species that were growing

239
00:13:24,459 --> 00:13:26,375
in this, in this area.

240
00:13:26,375 --> 00:13:29,125
But that had medicinal 
uses, that have food uses,

241
00:13:29,125 --> 00:13:32,125
that can be used for 
construction, for shelter,

242
00:13:32,125 --> 00:13:33,375
for many things.

243
00:13:33,375 --> 00:13:35,209
And all these, you see all 
these nutrients that were

244
00:13:35,209 --> 00:13:39,125
contained in the forest, will 
wash away in the first rain.

245
00:13:39,125 --> 00:13:40,876
Restoration of 
this site will be,

246
00:13:40,876 --> 00:13:43,042
will be very difficult 
because it will lose the

247
00:13:43,042 --> 00:13:46,999
nutrients and to start 
again to establish a

248
00:13:46,999 --> 00:13:54,999
forest as a one that was before 
would be exceedingly difficult.

249
00:14:04,083 --> 00:14:06,918
So there are all sorts 
of stuff that work here.

250
00:14:06,918 --> 00:14:09,542
Well, the rough topography 
of the region makes these

251
00:14:09,542 --> 00:14:15,083
valleys very special and 
they are not very big valleys.

252
00:14:15,083 --> 00:14:17,584
All of a sudden 
here, boom, we're

253
00:14:17,584 --> 00:14:20,792
out in the middle of 
the a whole bunch of this

254
00:14:20,792 --> 00:14:23,375
they call empitireshere.

255
00:14:23,375 --> 00:14:24,999
Ah, the light's 
really good on it.

256
00:14:24,999 --> 00:14:26,501
Look, you can 
see the fruits.

257
00:14:26,501 --> 00:14:29,834
But there are thousands of 
these plants and it's only

258
00:14:29,834 --> 00:14:37,626
because this highway got 
put in that we know about em.

259
00:14:37,626 --> 00:14:42,584
Well, this valley of the 
Balsas River is hard

260
00:14:42,584 --> 00:14:47,542
to get to, it's 
fairly unpopulated.

261
00:14:47,542 --> 00:14:50,751
Because it's mountainous 
there wasn't,

262
00:14:50,751 --> 00:14:54,125
there's not much 
irrigable land here.

263
00:14:54,125 --> 00:14:56,667
So when, there was not 
much here at all until the

264
00:14:56,667 --> 00:14:58,250
government looked 
at this and say,

265
00:14:58,250 --> 00:14:59,999
"Hey, what a place to put a dam.

266
00:14:59,999 --> 00:15:01,999
We can make an enormous 
lake reservoir,

267
00:15:01,999 --> 00:15:04,292
generate electricity and 
then down on the coast

268
00:15:04,292 --> 00:15:07,459
during, when it's not 
in the rainy season,

269
00:15:07,459 --> 00:15:09,584
we'll have water 
for irrigation."

270
00:15:09,584 --> 00:15:11,999
The problem is that at 
the times which these dams

271
00:15:11,999 --> 00:15:14,125
were built you could 
not make such a big dam

272
00:15:14,125 --> 00:15:17,542
without impacting awfully 
the environment and they

273
00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:19,999
destroyed unique habitats.

274
00:15:19,999 --> 00:15:21,999
Well, thousands and 
thousands of hectors,

275
00:15:21,999 --> 00:15:24,959
tens of thousands of acres 
of excellent habitat and

276
00:15:24,959 --> 00:15:27,667
they flooded out a whole 
bunch of villages and their,

277
00:15:27,667 --> 00:15:29,626
their livelihood.

278
00:15:29,626 --> 00:15:36,959
The small farms they 
had, the ranches, gone.

279
00:15:36,959 --> 00:15:40,417
Before the construction 
of the dam very few people

280
00:15:40,417 --> 00:15:41,834
came to this place.

281
00:15:41,834 --> 00:15:44,792
Now you have a very fast 
highway that goes along the

282
00:15:44,792 --> 00:15:51,083
dam and connects the center 
of the country with the coast.

283
00:15:51,083 --> 00:15:53,459
The road climbs abruptly 
out of the hot desert

284
00:15:53,459 --> 00:15:56,876
lowlands into the cool 
pine forests that once

285
00:15:56,876 --> 00:16:00,083
covered centralMichuacán.

286
00:16:00,083 --> 00:16:03,417
Well inside the pine 
belt isParacho, over

287
00:16:03,417 --> 00:16:07,083
7,000 feet in elevation.

288
00:16:07,083 --> 00:16:09,999
Did you ever buy a 
guitar inParacho?

289
00:16:09,999 --> 00:16:12,042
No, I have not.

290
00:16:12,042 --> 00:16:15,751
But everyone I know have 
come toParachoand bought

291
00:16:15,751 --> 00:16:17,959
an instrument here.

292
00:16:17,959 --> 00:16:21,667
Not only guitars but 
violins and violas and

293
00:16:21,667 --> 00:16:23,792
other instruments 
of the same kind.

294
00:16:23,792 --> 00:16:27,417
Yeah, it's the string instrument 
capital of Mexico, right?

295
00:16:27,417 --> 00:16:27,959
It is.

296
00:16:27,959 --> 00:16:30,999
And it is said that they 
produce the best stringed

297
00:16:30,999 --> 00:16:36,250
instruments in 
the whole country.

298
00:16:36,250 --> 00:16:38,999
Buenos tardes. Buenos tardes.

299
00:16:38,999 --> 00:16:42,334
Aqui esta su taller?

300
00:16:42,334 --> 00:16:46,167
Y esos son los lados? Lados.

301
00:16:46,167 --> 00:16:48,959
So this is the back of the 
guitar and the sides of

302
00:16:48,959 --> 00:16:51,876
the guitar and each of 
these reinforcements for

303
00:16:51,876 --> 00:16:55,792
the body have a special 
name depending where they

304
00:16:55,792 --> 00:17:00,792
are or what 
shape they have.

305
00:17:02,334 --> 00:17:04,417
It takes me about 2 
months to finish

306
00:17:04,417 --> 00:17:05,999
the guitars like this.

307
00:17:05,999 --> 00:17:12,834
I work on 4 guitars of differing 
stages at the same time.

308
00:17:12,834 --> 00:17:19,000
Some shops also make other 
instruments likemaracas,

309
00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:25,626
baleros, yoyos 
 and trompos.

310
00:17:25,626 --> 00:17:28,542
It's a tradition 
in this town.

311
00:17:28,542 --> 00:17:32,334
This heritage was left to 
us byVasca de Quiroga.

312
00:17:32,334 --> 00:17:36,459
I'm not sure of 
the exact date.

313
00:17:36,459 --> 00:17:38,209
But he's the one 
responsible for bringing

314
00:17:38,209 --> 00:17:42,999
the guitar industry 
toParacho.

315
00:17:42,999 --> 00:17:45,792
He was one of the first 
missionaries who came

316
00:17:45,792 --> 00:17:48,999
from Spain.

317
00:17:48,999 --> 00:17:52,167
The majority of the 
population here

318
00:17:52,167 --> 00:17:54,959
is indigenouspurepucha.

319
00:17:54,959 --> 00:17:59,584
Each separate town was 
taught a specific trait.

320
00:17:59,584 --> 00:18:01,999
Here we learned 
to make guitars.

321
00:18:01,999 --> 00:18:04,250
InUruapanthey 
make thebatteja.

322
00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:07,999
The town ofSan Juanis 
known for characteristic

323
00:18:07,999 --> 00:18:10,292
Michuacánclothes.

324
00:18:10,292 --> 00:18:13,209
Alberto I'm glad you've 
finally found a good job.

325
00:18:13,209 --> 00:18:14,999
Ah, this is really heavy.

326
00:18:14,999 --> 00:18:17,792
(speaking Spanish)

327
00:18:17,792 --> 00:18:20,292
This wood will 
sink in water.

328
00:18:20,292 --> 00:18:22,626
It's a relative 
of the mesquite.

329
00:18:22,626 --> 00:18:23,792
It's heavy.

330
00:18:23,792 --> 00:18:26,083
Don't drop it 
on your toes.

331
00:18:26,083 --> 00:18:29,999
This wood he's had for 
awhile but it grows in

332
00:18:29,999 --> 00:18:32,876
the, in the hills, 
apparently at an elevation

333
00:18:32,876 --> 00:18:38,125
of about 2,000 feet 
in southernMichuacán.

334
00:18:38,125 --> 00:18:39,999
And look, look.

335
00:18:39,999 --> 00:18:42,999
Boy, it does have 
a rich color. Beautiful.

336
00:18:42,999 --> 00:18:44,999
So I hear, I 
didn't know this,

337
00:18:44,999 --> 00:18:48,459
this is called the 
diapason.

338
00:18:48,459 --> 00:18:51,292
And you can see the 
color's very similar.

339
00:18:51,292 --> 00:18:54,334
He is usingclavijasand 
clavijasare different

340
00:18:54,334 --> 00:18:56,667
from the metal ones.

341
00:18:56,667 --> 00:18:59,542
So these tune 
from behind.

342
00:18:59,542 --> 00:19:02,667
Hard woods and 
they just fit.

343
00:19:02,667 --> 00:19:08,250
Que bonito las 
encrustaciones.

344
00:19:08,250 --> 00:19:12,959
Yeah, inlay from, 
made from shell.

345
00:19:12,959 --> 00:19:15,501
Esta es de cahoma.

346
00:19:15,501 --> 00:19:16,918
De cahoma.

347
00:19:16,918 --> 00:19:18,292
Mexicana? Si.

348
00:19:18,292 --> 00:19:19,918
So Mexican mahogany.

349
00:19:19,918 --> 00:19:22,209
Again this is. So 
this, when it is done,

350
00:19:22,209 --> 00:19:24,792
will cost a little 
bit under $1,500

351
00:19:24,792 --> 00:19:27,334
but for all of the 
work that's in it that

352
00:19:27,334 --> 00:19:30,250
is not a bad price.

353
00:19:30,250 --> 00:19:32,999
I really enjoyed looking 
at how these men that

354
00:19:32,999 --> 00:19:36,709
inherited 400 or 500 years 
of culture are still doing

355
00:19:36,709 --> 00:19:41,209
the instruments as they 
were told by the friar

356
00:19:41,209 --> 00:19:44,751
that came here 
with the conquests.

357
00:19:44,751 --> 00:19:48,667
How do you fill the place, 
you visited it a long time

358
00:19:48,667 --> 00:19:53,209
ago and now we see a 
bustling city full of shops.

359
00:19:53,209 --> 00:19:54,209
It is. It's a city now.

360
00:19:54,209 --> 00:19:58,959
It was a small town but 
it still, guitar, guitar.

361
00:19:58,959 --> 00:19:59,999
It's clean.

362
00:19:59,999 --> 00:20:01,584
Fiddle, oh.

363
00:20:01,584 --> 00:20:03,375
Takes me back.

364
00:20:03,375 --> 00:20:07,000
It's just seductive.

365
00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:09,042
Buenos tardes.

366
00:20:09,042 --> 00:20:11,667
Cinco años tiene esperando.

367
00:20:11,667 --> 00:20:13,584
Si.

368
00:20:13,584 --> 00:20:17,000
The guitars aren't just 
simply made and sold.

369
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,834
A good guitar has to be 
assembled and then aged

370
00:20:20,834 --> 00:20:26,751
just as a very fine wine 
or a good whiskey needs time.

371
00:20:26,751 --> 00:20:29,584
(speaking Spanish)

372
00:20:29,584 --> 00:20:31,999
So, I'm almost afraid to 
touch it but this guitar

373
00:20:31,999 --> 00:20:34,999
is 35 years old in the 
making and it was just

374
00:20:34,999 --> 00:20:38,125
about a month ago that 
he put varnish on it.

375
00:20:38,125 --> 00:20:44,999
It belonged to his father and it 
still isn't finished.

376
00:20:44,999 --> 00:20:48,834
The family started 
out here in 1870.

377
00:20:48,834 --> 00:20:51,584
So they have a little 
experience making guitars.

378
00:20:51,584 --> 00:20:54,417
And they can afford to 
wait for 35 years

379
00:20:54,417 --> 00:20:57,292
to finish a guitar.

380
00:20:57,292 --> 00:20:58,501
My goodness.

381
00:20:58,501 --> 00:21:00,542
Given that ancestry.

382
00:21:00,542 --> 00:21:05,834
And it's a beautiful 
object by itself.

383
00:21:05,834 --> 00:21:10,999
So this is the first 
guitar thatHeronojomade

384
00:21:10,999 --> 00:21:13,999
while he was in school.

385
00:21:13,999 --> 00:21:17,999
His grandfather is here 
in the picture and his father.

386
00:21:17,999 --> 00:21:24,999
Apparently it's a picture 
from several years ago.

387
00:21:46,209 --> 00:21:48,542
So if you want 
to buy a guitar,

388
00:21:48,542 --> 00:21:51,167
the first thing you should 
look at is the wood,

389
00:21:51,167 --> 00:21:56,501
the construction, but more 
than anything else the tone.

390
00:21:56,501 --> 00:22:00,417
It should be 
strong like this.

391
00:22:00,417 --> 00:22:14,125
♪ music ♪

392
00:22:14,125 --> 00:22:14,999
Que persista.

393
00:22:14,999 --> 00:22:21,626
He stresses a lot the time 
it remains with the sound.

394
00:22:21,626 --> 00:22:24,626
The reverberations within 
the sound box itself. Right.

395
00:22:24,626 --> 00:22:28,167
He mentioned also that 
he was using a Mexican walnut.

396
00:22:28,167 --> 00:22:30,667
Yeah, it's actually 
walnut, yeah,

397
00:22:30,667 --> 00:22:31,999
and it's gorgeous.

398
00:22:31,999 --> 00:22:33,709
It's a beautiful guitar.

399
00:22:33,709 --> 00:22:35,501
It is beautiful.

400
00:22:35,501 --> 00:22:38,083
It's beautiful wood.

401
00:22:38,083 --> 00:22:49,167
♪ music ♪

402
00:22:49,167 --> 00:22:52,751
Parachois famous for its 
guitars but not for

403
00:22:52,751 --> 00:22:55,000
its guitar players.

404
00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:00,792
Some people are 
trying to change that.

405
00:23:00,792 --> 00:23:03,292
♪ music ♪

406
00:23:03,292 --> 00:23:06,876
We are going now to visit 
the school for children,

407
00:23:06,876 --> 00:23:08,375
boys and girls.

408
00:23:08,375 --> 00:23:09,999
Boy, what a great idea.

409
00:23:09,999 --> 00:23:13,501
This school was 
designed specifically

410
00:23:13,501 --> 00:23:17,959
for children to teach them 
how to play the guitar,

411
00:23:17,959 --> 00:23:21,000
to complete the cycle from 
the construction of these

412
00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:25,250
instruments to the 
playing of the guitars.

413
00:23:25,250 --> 00:23:27,375
The objective of the 
school is to teach the

414
00:23:27,375 --> 00:23:30,999
kids to play so this 
cycle can be completed.

415
00:23:30,999 --> 00:23:34,999
Currently there are 20 
children studying guitar here.

416
00:23:34,999 --> 00:23:43,751
The ages range 
from 8 to 16 years.

417
00:23:43,751 --> 00:23:46,999
This school has produced some 
award-winning

418
00:23:46,999 --> 00:23:48,542
young guitar players.

419
00:23:48,542 --> 00:23:54,999
They have received national as 
well as international awards.

420
00:23:54,999 --> 00:24:00,918
The guitar is the icon, 
it's the soul ofParacho.

421
00:24:00,918 --> 00:24:03,999
The construction of 
guitars inParachohas

422
00:24:03,999 --> 00:24:06,792
evolved over 
the centuries.

423
00:24:06,792 --> 00:24:10,999
This evolution has 
relevance with the players.

424
00:24:10,999 --> 00:24:13,375
They too are evolving 
with their talents,

425
00:24:13,375 --> 00:24:17,834
with their artistic 
expressions.

426
00:24:17,834 --> 00:24:19,999
This is all happening 
in this school,

427
00:24:19,999 --> 00:24:21,751
which is the center for 
research and development

428
00:24:21,751 --> 00:24:30,417
of the guitar and the 
guitaristahere inParacho.

429
00:24:30,417 --> 00:24:34,042
The pine forest, tropical 
deciduous forest and

430
00:24:34,042 --> 00:24:36,292
deserts of the southern 
part of the state of

431
00:24:36,292 --> 00:24:39,876
Michuacánare among the 
richest in the world and

432
00:24:39,876 --> 00:24:42,000
scientists are only 
beginning to appreciate

433
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,999
the vast diversity 
that occurs here.

434
00:24:44,999 --> 00:24:48,125
At the same time 
development has arrived

435
00:24:48,125 --> 00:24:50,292
and is exploding 
in its influence.

436
00:24:50,292 --> 00:24:53,501
The challenge to Mexicans 
will be to make sure that

437
00:24:53,501 --> 00:24:56,209
the natural values are 
somehow protected as

438
00:24:56,209 --> 00:25:01,125
almost unhindered 
development hits the region.

439
00:25:02,584 --> 00:25:06,584
Next time on 
The Desert Speaks.

440
00:25:06,584 --> 00:25:08,167
It's tall.

441
00:25:08,167 --> 00:25:09,999
It's distinctive.

442
00:25:09,999 --> 00:25:11,792
It's like the palm of your hand,

443
00:25:11,792 --> 00:25:14,083
raditates out from a 
central point.

444
00:25:14,083 --> 00:25:16,667
It's graceful.

445
00:25:16,667 --> 00:25:20,751
It's popular.

446
00:25:20,751 --> 00:25:25,999
These are vicious spines.

447
00:25:25,999 --> 00:25:30,834
And parts of it are delicious.

448
00:25:34,751 --> 00:25:57,751
♪ music ♪

449
00:26:02,250 --> 00:26:03,999
Funding for 
The Desert Speaks

450
00:26:03,999 --> 00:26:06,125
was provided by 
Desert Program Partners,

451
00:26:06,125 --> 00:26:09,167
representing concerned viewers 
making a financial commitment

452
00:26:09,167 --> 00:26:14,292
to the education about and 
preservation of deserts.

453
00:26:14,292 --> 00:26:18,626
And by the 
Stonewall Foundation.

454
00:26:20,626 --> 00:26:25,125
Copies of the Desert 
Speaks are available from KUAT.

455
00:26:25,125 --> 00:26:29,417
To order, call 1-800-841-5923

456
00:26:29,417 --> 00:26:33,999
and please be sure to mention 
the episode number.

457
00:26:33,999 --> 00:26:41,501
For more information 
visitThe Desert Speaks 
on-line at this address.