Subject: So. Studies/Sciences: Geography/Cultures

Latin American Studies Series

A series of documentaries that offers in-depth studies on the geography, history, culture and people of various Latin American countries; also informative perspectives on significant contemporary issues are addressed. Programs available on 23 individual DVDs, Digital Streaming Files or Videos; also in a 23-Disc Set. For pricing call in US: 800.876.2447/Intl. 603.434.9262 or e-mail

List of Titles

Argentina: Middle Class Revolt

Argentina is the second largest country by land area in South America, eighth in the world, with a population of over 40 million people. Economically, the country struggled most of the 20th century, but today is making new strides. However, the road to new reforms was not an easy one. This classic documentary takes Click for more

Argentina: Nation on the Brink

"Highly Recommended. Focusing on Argentina's economy and turbulent politics, this program contrasts the situation of its poor against the opulent lifestyle of former Peronist president Carlos Menem and includes an interview with the former opposition leader, Elisa Carrio. It offers insight into the country's relationship Click for more

Belize and Guatemala: Legacy of the Maya

The Maya was one of the most culturally dynamic societies in history. Today, we are still fascinated with this incredible civilization, which had a fully developed language and a command of mathematics and astronomy. In search of the legacy of the Maya, our comprehensive tour begins in Belize, which is located on the Click for more

Beneath the Jungle and Beyond (MesoAmerica)

Mesoamerica. About 13000 years before the time of Christ a consortium of autonomous city/kingdoms developed and flourished in a region now mapped as southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras. They thrived until around the fifteenth century AD, leaving behind astounding monuments to the energy, industry, and Click for more

Bolivia: Violins in the Forest

The world's most extraordinary music conservatory is located in a tiny Bolivian village, somewhere between the Andes and Amazonia. Among the Guarayo people there are hundreds of young musicians aged 6 to 18 years who have safeguarded the ancient tradition of Baroque music, which was taught to their forefathers by the Click for more

Brazil: The True People (Ethnology & Encroachment)

Best Documentary -FICA Film Festival
Editor's Choice Award -Science, Books & Films
"Highly Recommended. With stunningly beautiful scenes of the rain forest in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, this program is as much an art as an ethnographic film. It provides the basis Click for more

Brazil: The True People (Ethnology & Encroachment) - Level 1

Best Documentary -FICA Film Festival
Editor's Choice Award -Science, Books & Films
"Highly Recommended. With stunningly beautiful scenes of the rain forest in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, this program is as much an art as an ethnographic film. It provides the basis Click for more

The Caribbean: Islands of Eden

Cooled by the constant trade winds with scents of flowers and spice filling the air, the Caribbean Islands may seem like the islands of Eden; however, it is easy to forget that the history of these islands is filled with the times of bloody pirates and sugar plantations that created their great wealth from the labor Click for more

Chile: Fighting the Past (Polarized Politics)

Best Documentary! -FICA Festival
"Recommended. This documentary focuses on the rift in Chile between Pinochet's advocates and opponents; it is a fine program that forces the viewer to reflect on the abuse of political power. It is recommended for those with a keen interest Click for more

Colombia: La Guajira

La Guajira is an isolated area located in the northeastern part of Colombia; it borders the Caribbean Sea to the north and east, and Venezuela and the Gulf of Maracaibo to the west. The peninsula is sparsely populated by indigenous Guajiros (also called Wayuu) who live in the arid land here, though are they are clannish Click for more

Costa Rica: Colors, Creatures and Curiosities

Costa Rica is an incredibly eco-friendly country that backs up its commitment to nature and the environment with action. In North America it ranks #1 in terms the Environmental Performance Index, and to further commit its economic focus to its natural well-being it was the first country in the world to constitutionally Click for more

Cuba on Fire: Mythologies and Origins of Carnival

Santiago is Cuba's second largest city, after Havana, and it is the country's most exotic, filled with various ethnic groups from Europe, African and Asia. With such a mixture of cultures it is no wonder the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba is the largest and most spectacular of all the island's carnivals; it is Click for more

Cuba on Fire: Mythologies and Origins of Carnival - Level 1

Santiago is Cuba's second largest city, after Havana, and it is the country's most exotic, filled with various ethnic groups from Europe, African and Asia. With such a mixture of cultures it is no wonder the Carnival of Santiago de Cuba is the largest and most spectacular of all the island's carnivals; it is Click for more

Cuba: Viva La Revolucion?

"Recommended. This program includes interviews with Cuban residents, whose dissatisfaction is expressed in hushed tones from the streets, while teachers, Zone leaders, and other government officials praise Castro and his Revolution. The propaganda, from both sides, we discover is the same after more than 40 years." Click for more

French Guiana: Rockets in the Jungle

"Recommended. This documentary not only presents a history of French Guiana, but also opens our eyes to the many space-age launchings of satellites that have occurred from this country for over 30 years." National Media Review
Ask most people and they wouldn't know that deep in the Amazon rainforest of Click for more

Guatemala: 7 Wind

"Highly Recommended. Something is captured here: a series of thoroughly haunting images that are clearly not random but have been arranged to cover many arenas of human existence in Guatemala. The camerawork is quite stunning and the non-narrative technique creates a feeling of staring at a culture with innocent, Click for more

Guatemala: 7 Wind - Level 1

"Highly Recommended. Something is captured here: a series of thoroughly haunting images that are clearly not random but have been arranged to cover many arenas of human existence in Guatemala. The camerawork is quite stunning and the non-narrative technique creates a feeling of staring at a culture with innocent, Click for more

Mexico: Tarahumara 1 - Threads of Change

Copper Canyon, located in northern Mexico in the Sierra Madre Mountains, is home to over 50,000 Tarahumaras (Raramuri), the largest group of native people in North America after the Navajo. Today, in spite of encroaching outsiders, these people still preserve their traditional ways; however, with tourism to the canyon Click for more

Mexico: Tarahumara 2 - Huarache Sandal Maker

Copper Canyon, Mexico, four times the size of the Grand Canyon, is home for over 50,000 Tarahumara Indians (Raramuri). They have lived in relative isolation for centuries, relying primarily on subsistence farming techniques in a terrain and climate unfavorable for crop production; consequently, they have barely eked Click for more

Mexico: VW Bug - A Trip to Beetle Paradise

The German automaker Volkswagen (VW) produced its Type 1 "Beetle" from 1938 until 2003. This classic program documents the days when one out of every three cars built in Mexico was a VW. Host Mariana Rodriguez takes viewers to a dealership where all the features of the VW bugs are described; also to a factory Click for more

Nicaragua: The Ceasefire

"Recommended. Poignant - real - a moving study of the country." -Video Librarian
Nicaragua, though the largest country in Central America in area, is the least densely populated. Its modern history has been plagued with conflicts and violence. Fighting among Sandinistas and Contras occurred often during Click for more

Nicaragua: Reyno

This classic program documents the time when Nicaragua was at war during the 1980s, when the Sandinistas fought against the Contras; its purpose was to show the plight of the Nicaraguan poor through the eyes on eleven-year-old Reyno, who like any boy his age would prefer playing outside, instead, because of the deadly Click for more

Peru: Tools for Development (Business, Foreign Aid, Common Sense)

Economically, Peru is a developing country with nearly 40% of its population at the poverty level. Villa El Salvador (VES), which began as a shantytown outside of Lima in the early 1970s, has evolved into a largely self-serving urban zone thanks to the efforts of two friends - from two very different worlds - who worked Click for more

Venezuela: Hugo Chavez - No Ordinary President

"Highly Recommended. Explores why Hugo Chavez is popular with the poor, yet despised by the middle and upper classes in his country. The manner in which Chavez handles the constant threats to his life and the upheavals in Venezuela is extraordinary to watch. The profile of Chavez and the exploration of the social Click for more

Venezuela: Juan Felix Sanchez

Best Documentary -Chicago Intl. Film Festival
This classic documentary offers a sensitive portrait and explores the life and works of legendary Andean folk artist, Juan Félix Sánchez (1900 - 1997), who was born in San Rafael de Mucuchíes, Mérida, Venezuela. Here we see Click for more

Worlds of the Maya

This engrossing documentary welcomes you to the many worlds of the Maya, exploring Belize and Guatemala, which hold the stories and sites of the great classical Maya past, as well as their culture today. We begin in the Caribbean port of Belize City and Belize's eastern coastline, which features the world's second Click for more