One of a series of silent educational films marketed by Bell & Howell in the 1930s under the trade name “Filmsets”, this short film includes scenes from Mexico and Central America, with an emphasis on natural resources. The film begins with a map showing the geography of the region and describing how rainfall increases the further south one goes. At :53, the famous Tampico oil fields are shown. The first oil well in Mexico was drilled near Tampico at Ébano S.L.P. in 1901, by Californian Edward Doheny, who founded Mexican Petroleum Corporation. At :58 a large derrick is shown, part of the Tampico field. At 1:20 a “gusher” is shown. At 1:31 the northern part of Mexico is shown as an ideal place to raise cattle and sheep. At 2:00 donkeys and horses move along the roads carrying people and agricultural products. At 2:23 indigenous peoples are shown on the roads. At 2:36 a discussion of the immense mineral wealth, with shots of copper and silver mines. At 3:02 the floating gardens of Xochimilco outside Mexico City. A water market is shown. At 3:43, the historical Aztec pyramid and the large basilica in Mexico City’s center are contrasted through a dissolve. At 4:20, serpents heads at the archaeological site. At 4:30, fields of sisal are shown useful in making ropes. The rope making process is shown at 5:00, with a hand-driven spinning wheel. At 5:38 some of Central America’s banana plantations are shown, probably run by United Fruit Co. At 6:14, sugar cane is harvested. At 6:45 an ox-driven sugar cane grinder extracts juice from the cane plants.
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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
