Desert Speaks

Sierra Madre Easter

Travel around Chihuahua, Mexico, with host David Yetman and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum's Jesus Garcia, a native of Mexico. Together they look at how traditions continue for the area's indigenous peoples while new arrivals contribute to Chihuahua's identity in other ways. The first stop is Paquime, site of one of the most sophisticated pre-Columbian cities in northwestern Mexico. There, Yetman finds ceramic remains, evidence of advanced drainage systems and stops at "La Casa de las Guacamayas" where the local residents raised revered macaw parrots. Then visit some of the newest residents in Mexico with a trip to a Mennonite farm operation. Only in Mexico for the past 100 years or so, the Mennonites are the largest source of commercial cheese in the country. The episode ends with a trip to the hills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, where the native peoples, the Tarahumara, celebrate Holy Week in their own traditional way and where each pueblo sends their own dancers and musicians to participate. The area is so remote that some groups walk for days to be a part of this celebration.