Episode list

More than two thousand years ago, Christ cast a revolutionary message: 'Render unto Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God's. That division between the world of the political universe and the religious universe has provoked a permanent conflict in the Western world. That conflict and the provocation produced by the Calles regime, launched a group of Catholics against the government: The War of the Cristeros or the Cristiada.

The first battles of the Cristiada seemed more like a 'hunt'. According to the Federal Army, the Cristeros did not have arms, organization or experience. 'We were very inexperienced, very young' - said the Cristeros. 'The war'- they thought - 'was like a party that would end in a few days'. However, that 'party' was prolonged. The Cristeros, equipped with arms, put up pitched, formal battles. Now they were no longer hunts, nor guerilla operations. They were bloody combats with hundreds of victims on both sides: it is the triumph of death.

War is cruel and civil war is the cruelest of all. With the Cristiada, Mexico lives this tragic and popular dimension. An internal fight in which the enemy factions were being put up in the same house. ¿Could there be anyone to relate this story? The history of the suffering felt by the people, the families, the towns - In those times the country lived divided - in the country of panic.

The Cristiada is a tragic chapter in national history that, perhaps, could have been avoided - The Mexican people, however, figured out how to repair the damages caused by their leaders on both sides, their political leaders and their religious leaders. History was in check.

Veracruz is the sum of all parts diverse. In its geography we find mountains, lakes, swamps, rivers, beaches. Likewise, in its men and women there is a similar variety of qualities. In Veracruz the seeds of many races and cultures blended to make its own specific culture, a culture in which diversity exists. Veracruz is synonymous with tolerance, celebration, poetry, passion. In this program we try to discover just what makes up the soul of Veracruz - the "Jarocha" soul.

A look at some of the important divas from Mexican national cinema: women who have captivated massive audiences in their variations of heroines who are impassioned, enigmatic, self-sacrificing or sensual, victims or victimizers. With images of the intense cinematographic production which served as their background, this documentary pays special attention to those stars who ''came to stay'': Andrea Palma, Dolores del Río, María Félix, Ninón Sevilla, Angélica María and Isela Vela, among others.

This program presents the life and thought of José Vasconcelos. A politician, educator, philosopher, mystic, Vasconcelos unleashed his passions with the same intensity in his intellectual work as he did in his political or work, or even in love. Previously unpublished materials are shown here which illustrate the complexity of the man who marked various generations of Mexicans and who presented a new way of understanding Mexico and its culture.

The art of the circus was born the very moment that man found himself able to go beyond - in a harmonious and aesthetic way - his own limits, in order to evoke the admiration of his fellow men. The art of the circus excites, surprises and causes wonder. In its essence there is the grace of youth and the wisdom of centuries, beauty and boldness, enthusiasm and daring. In the circus, imagination and fantasy live; it is an enigmatic mix of elements in which "the unexpected" is always produced.

An avant garde architectural work built in the 1950's, University Stadium, located in the middle of the capital of Mexico, is the only stadium in Latin America that has been home to the two most important sporting events in the world: the soccer World Cup and the Olympic Games. Presented through extensive research that integrates both history and visual imagery, this documentary is an homage not only to one of the most active sporting headquarters of the world, but also to a center that has served as a forum of expression for important figures of universal culture.

In 1994, Popocatepetl, the legendary volcano, erupts and showers the ground with its ashes. All eyes are concentrated on the great colossus, from scientists to rural workers, communications workers to politicians, traditional weather men to visual artists. This documentary reminds us of the mythical time 'when the hills were standing up'.

This documentary is dedicated to the traditional weathermen who, according to the anthropologist Julio Glockner, are specialists in the magical management of the weather. They are people who instruct starting from a ''sign from heaven'' Such characters are not the volcano's guards: they are missionaries who ''complete the destiny'' of communicating with ''Gregorio Chino Popocatepetl'' through dreams and completing the rituals that will bring about prosperous times on earth.

Since its foundation 450 years ago, then as the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico, the UNAM (Autonomous National University of Mexico) has been and is the most important cultural institution of our country. The most prominent of men and the most lucid minds of science and Mexican humanism have made their way into the classrooms and through the hallways of the university, not to mention the thousands of students who, with the fearlessness of their youth, have led innumerable civic struggles that have made a mark on the destiny of the country. Its ancestral heritage and its social engagement have given it a prominent spot in the realm of higher education in Mexico, and justifiably so, it is considered the "casa maxima" - the greatest place for higher educational studies.

As the twentieth century wore on, the presence of the National University (UNAM) extended to all parts of society. For a long time it was believed that what would occur in the future of the country, in large part would be determined by the work of the university's students. And this was not merely conjectural, as many of the fundamental players of contemporary Mexico came from its classrooms.

This program presents an analysis of and reflection on the Catholic Church in Mexico. This particular point of view considers its tradition, its transformation and the dilemmas that it faces in the world of today.