One of Mexico's most defining and colorful feasts is the "Day of the Dead," celebrated every year on November 2. Roberto Alcaraz travels to southern Mexico to discover the Feast's origin and meaning. His search takes him from the noisy, bustling mercados, or markets, of Oaxaca, to the pre-Columbian ruins of Monte Alban and Mitla, an ornate Dominican church, and to the home of a Zapotec family of rug weavers. Roberto learns about the family's art, their daily struggles, their traditions, and the importance of "Day of the Dead" in their life. Roberto ends his adventure with a midnight stroll in a candlelit cemetery that is lovingly invaded by the living on the night of the feast.

Accompany Roberto in
Great Power of Christ–  La Paz, Bolivia

In the heights of the breathtaking Andes, the city of La Paz, Bolivia, gets ready for their most colorful folkloric Feast, a parade that presents all of Bolivia's indigenous dances. At a general rehearsal Roberto's meets a young Aymara-Bolivian dancer, David Quispe, who invites him to his hometown near Lake Titicaca, where the most renowned dance, "La Morenada" comes from. The vast sapphire-blue expanse of sacred waters is charged with divine power and mythology for the Aymara people, and Roberto has the privilege of experiencing a ceremony honoring the Pachamama, or Mother Earth, conducted by a 100-year-old yatiri, or holy man. David tells him about the challenges he and others - face moving from this rural region to urban La Paz, and how dances such as la Morenada, which express Andean philosophy and spirituality, help them reclaim their identity in the city. Back in La Paz, Roberto joins the thousands of spectators and participants who turn out to celebrate the feast of El Gran Poder with its elaborate costumes flashing with tiny mirrors, blaring traditional music and invincible high spirits.

Roberto arrives in the capital of the Incan empire just in time to witness the incredible march of saints' statues that is cheered on at the feast of Corpus Christi. A local historian informs Roberto that the Quechua people carried out the exact same ritual with their mummified, former rulers long before the arrival of Christianity. Earlier in the day Roberto follows platforms bearing Saint Sebastian and Saint Jerome into the city from a small town along with masked men with large chunks of ice on their backs brought down from the sacred glacier of Qoylloriti. Roberto sets off to the Sacred Valley of the Inca to find out more. Along the way he finds steep hillside agricultural terraces, imposing ancient temples, and an original Inca dwelling that still houses a Quechua family. A shaman performs a cleansing rite for Roberto before the last leg of his journey. The trail ends with sunrise at Machu Picchu, the legendary Inca city situated majestically between two mountains.

Leticia heads for Quito, the Ecuadorian capital situated amidst snow-capped volcanoes of the Andes mountain range. She takes a turn through the old colonial center and up to El Panecillo, a small and long-extinct volcano where a towering statue of the Virgin of Quito stands guard over the city. The breathtaking view of Quito far below, and the imposing landscape inspires Leticia to learn more about the native people's relationship with the land. After a visit to a unique museum located on the exact location of the equator, she travels to Otavalo and its handicrafts market. There she discovers an array of hand knitted wool sweaters, Andean flute music, and the tantalizing aroma of potato cakes, all in one of the oldest and most famous indigenous markets of Latin America. During the solar equinox, Otavalo hosts the vivacious "Feast del Yamor," in in preparation for the planting of new corn. Leticia participates in the many events designed around Yamor, meets the town's indigenous mayor, gets dressed in traditional garb, and visits a school where an indigernous children's choir is taught traditional songs and instruments. She learns about a native people's pride in their culture and handiwork.

Leticia arrives in the picturesque colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala, for the pageantry of Holy Week. A local preservationist takes Leticia on a tour of colonial churches and homes that have been beautifully preserved and restored. Wandering through the local market, she discovers the colorful, traditional fabrics produced by Maya artisans, and travels to Chichicastenango to meet a weaving cooperative of Maya women who were widowed by the country's long civil war. To learn more about Maya beliefs, Leticia attends a sacred Maya ceremony in which priests pray for world peace to the lilting rhythms of traditional marimba music. Returning to Antigua for Holy Week festivities, she helps a local family create a colorful and elaborate flower petal carpet, the hallmark of Good Friday in Antigua, only to watch their work be trampled by huge processions of thousands of penitents and Roman centurions.

Accompany Leticia in
Our Lady of Guadalupe – Mexico City, Mexico

On December 12, the feast day of the patroness of Mexico, Leticia journeys to one of the most visited holy shrines in the world, the basilica of "Our Lady of Guadalupe, " where she joins tens of thousands of people who have gathered to pray, sing, and dance on this special day. A local scholar recounts the story of the Virgin's apparition to Juan Diego shortly after the Spanish conquest, with its message of hope and dignity for the oppressed Aztec peope. Exploring the National Museum of Anthropology's impressive pre-Columbian collection, Leticia learns more about ancient Aztec culture. She also meets a Chinampero who introduces her to the canals where he and other farmers keep the traditional aquatic farming methods of the Aztecs. Her tour ends with a group of women in a low-income suburb whose social activism embodies Guadalupe's message to Juan Diego, that of dignity and justice for all people.

Accompany Leticia in
St. James the Apostle – Loiza, Puerto Rico

The town of Loiza has remained an enclave of the descendents of African slaves since their arrival to the island to work in the sugarcane plantations. Leticia travels to Loiza, to join in the feast of St. James the Apostle on July 25. During this week-long celebration people dress in ceremonial costumes and dance to rhythms strikingly similar to those of West Africa. Leticia meets Raul Ayala, a local mask-maker who creates the intricate masks people use for the feast, and explains the many symbols present in the masks, dress and music, inviting Leticia to try on a costume. On a trip to the Caribbean National Forest, Leticia learns about the importance of the rain forest and a project trying to save the Puerto Rican parrot from of extinction. Leticia returns to Loiza to meet the internationally famous jazz musician, William Cepeda, who returns every year ot his hometown of Loiza for the feast. Leticia joins the dancers at Raul Ayala's house moving to the complex interplay of drummers known as the bomba, or drumming, in the celebration of a rich cultural heritage.

Accompany Leticia in
St. Michael the Archangel – San Miguel Allende, Mexico

San Miguel Allende is the jewel of the north central highlands of Mexico. Leticia finds the town overflowing with people from all over Mexico who have come for the week-long celebrations that honor an historic event in the hisotry of the Chichimec people: a 16th century battle in which warring religious factions lay down their arms and embraqced each other as brothers. Descendents of the Chichimec captains at arms have preserved the tradition through dance troupes that recreate traditioanl dances and ceremonies that recall the animas or souls of their ancestors. The animas are represented in sacred crosses that date back many years. Leticia also visits a local metal artisan shop and admires the beatiful handcrafted pieces made from simole metals and alloys. She also goes on an herb-gathering expedition with a local herbalist who teaches people how to use tradiitonal medicinal plants as part of a holistic approach to health. On the final day of the celebrations, Leticia joins the community of the Barrio de Maiz who have spent days constructing an impressive two story-high Xuchil, or cross of palm leaves, which they carry to place in the cathedral plaza.

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Accompany Leticia in

The Drums of St. John – Curiepe, Venezuela

Leticia travels to a remote coastal community to take part in a Feast that links with ancient African spirituality with the Feast of St. John the Baptist. Curiepe is famous for its drums, and Leticia learns about making them from a local artisan, who offers her a percussion lesson. Leticia discovers enchanting tropical beaches and a fascinating variety of birds while touring the mangroves, birthing ground for many life forms, which are endangered by local development. At a centuries-old cacao plantation, she learns about the Venezuelan cocoa bean, still coveted by European chocolate makers, and about how the African slaves who were brought to work the cacao plantations continued many of their traditions in their new home. Back in Curiepe, local children claim their heritage under the tutelage of a local teacher who trains them in traditional dance.The unique spirituality of the town blazes anew for three days and nights, as the Big Drums of Saint John erupt in dazzling, complex rhythms, inspiring bouts of dancing.

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Accompany Roberto in
Day of National Unity – Tikal, Guatemala

 Columbus day, or Dia de la Raza as it is called in much of Latin America, is charged with conflicting meanings for the native people of Guatemala, many of whom are just returning from forced or self-imposed exile after decades of civil war in the country. The Maya communities of the Peten have chosen October 12 to reaffirm their connection and presence in this land and prefer to call it "The Day of National Unity." Leticia meets a Maya Catholic priest who has strong ties to the traditional Maya religion and its priests. She finds his work involves helping Maya families promote pride in their traditional culture and heritage, and goes into the jungle with him a town threatened with extinction by the Plan Puebla Panama. She also learns about the local Maya radio station in the priest's parish and the importance of traditional dress to the Maya women. In what is perhaps the most important city of the Maya ancient civilization, Tikal, Leticia joins in a spectacular ritual involving hundreds of people that marks the courageous perseverance of a people.

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Accompany Roberto in
St. Lazarus – Havana, Cuba

 Roberto discovers that African spirituality is very much alive in today s Cuba. He travels to the shrine of St. Lazarus in El Rincon, and learns that the saint of popular devotion is the poor Lazarus, different from the officially recognized historical saint. But when he joins in the celebration of San Lazaro in the town of Guanacoba, he finds yet another reality. There Lazarus as an Orisha, or African deity, honored with vigorous drumming and dancing throughout the neighborhood. In his quest to understand this melding of religious customs, he speaks with a babalao, or Santero priest. The powerful rhythms and harmonies of Cuban music have African roots, as Roberto learns from an a capella singing group whose songs fill a botanical garden, and in his visit to the home of Lazaro Ros, an internationally known composer and performer in the traditional vein. Taking a break from the spiritual celebrations, Roberto views the restoration of the magnificent architecture of old Habana and visits one of the city s best-known hotels to sip a traditional mojito.

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Accompany Leticia in
Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos – Jalisco, Mexico

Every August 15, the city of San Juan de los Lagos swells with tens of thousands of pilgrims who come to see a tiny and allegedly miraculous statue of the Virgin Mary. Leticia Vasquez begins her own Latin American pilgrimage at the feast of "Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos," taking part in the celebrations and discovering personal accounts of granted miracles. She explores the charming colonial architecture of the nearby Lagos de Moreno, and accepts an invitation to a centuries-old hacienda where traditional cowboys, or charros, train for the unique Mexican rodeo. Along the way Leticia also learns about the production of Tequila, which originated in Jalisco, and samples a local brand. Her journey ends at a family reunion in La Barca, where she's treated to a feast of typical foods.