This 1959 film from Pan American World Airways gives viewers a look at the people, architecture, and natural wonders of Central America and Mexico. The film opens with shots of flowers, volcanoes, jungles, a cobblestone street leading to an old colonial church, and what appears to be Mayan ruins. A Guatemalan woman weaves fabric (02:16). On an island off the coast of Panama, people play music and women sew. A man harvests bananas and then uses donkeys to haul them away. A Pan Am Clipper flies overhead. The film shows a montage of shots of Pan Am Clippers landing at airports (04:23) in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Footage shows some of the buildings and streets in Panama (05:00). A large ship moves through the Panama Canal. The locks in the canal are opened. In what appears to be Balboa, entertainers ice skate for guests of a hotel. Viewers see several shots of people gambling as well as women dancing different Latin dances. The ruins of the old city of Panama sit forgotten (07:20). A woman walks on a sandy beach. The film shows close-up sots of colorful flowers. A man paints a cart wheel in Costa Rica (08:05). People harvest coffee berries at a coffee plantation in Costa Rica. People swim in two adjacent pools. Fans pack the stands (presumably in San Jose) to watch a soccer game (09:17). A band plays music at a Sunday promenade (09:55), and people walk through the main square of a city. There is a shot of an old church and other types of architecture. A group of men play music while people dance a traditional Spanish dance (11:33). A woman dances in Nicaragua while men play instruments (12:08). A group of Guatemalans play a large marimba. Mexican dancers reenact the Spanish conquest (12:50). The film then takes viewers to Atitlan, Guatemala, where several volcanoes loom above the lake (13:22). At a market in Chichicastenango, people buy and sell goods, while on the steps of a church, people perform some sort of religious rite. The film then appears to show the ruins of Chichen Itza (15:05), followed by some paintings of Diego Rivera. Two horses pull a man and a wooden board he uses to flatten out soil (16:12). A man walks behind a wooden plow pulled by an ox. The film shows a square in a city (16:54) and several high-rise buildings. There are more shots of villages, old churches, and markets (18:35). Artisans make bracelets (19:33), and the film shows close-up shots of statues and jewelry. In Mexico, people dance what appears to be a religious dance (20:17). At a bull fight in Mexico (21:09), a bull rushes out into the ring and charges the matador. A young matador tries his luck at bull fighting. People dive off a cliffside into the water at Acapulco (23:03). There is a good shot of the city and the bay. People ride in boats and water ski. Visitors relax next to hotel pools. The film then goes to Mexico City’s Paseo de la Reforma (24:35), where people dine in fine restaurants to the sounds of mariachi bands. The film shows a central park and fountain in Mexico City (25:14) and the Floating Gardens of Xochimilco. Mexicans enjoy games and rides at a fair (26:33): a little boy chases a carousel and people ride a Ferris wheel. There is a montage of shots of Mayan ruins, a colonial church, and the buildings on the campus of the University of Mexico. The film concludes with a Pan Am Clipper flying through clouds.

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com