Ejecucion de Programas del Quinto Centenario has assisted in the production of the series, which will be aired in both Spanish and English in the fall of 1992. Renowned Latin American writer Carlos Fuentes wrote and will narrate the series. Fuentes has acquired an impressive reputation as one of the premier voices of Latin America. It seems to me that when we search in the mirror of memory for the meaning of being Latin American, our forebears reappear, bringing sharply contrasting images. They tell stories in Spanish of infinite variety, yet with strangely constant themes.
Memory hears the voices of ancient peoples.
The project was conceived by Liss, past president of the Conference on Latin American History. She will serve as associate producer of the series. The documentaries will center on 1492, the year of Columbus' landing but will also include information concerning the Pre-Columbian years. Next, the second episode will focus on the problem of seeing Spain's history as simply one dominated by the Christian reconquista against the Moors or as a mixture of Christian, Jewish, and Moslem influences. The third episode will bring together Spain and Latin America in a discussion for the varying theories of the encounter between the indigenous peoples and the Spanish.