From the editor.

• Author: Kiernan, James Patrick

Life, it appears, involves a series of things lost and things gained. There are times when events, occurrences, and collective efforts imply both at the same time. And so in this issue of Americas a species saved, an industry revived, a symbol recorded and destroyed, the photographic record of a community rediscovered, and the persistent presence of a national icon all involve gain and loss.

Mexican painter Roberto Marquez, who every day viewed the World Trade Center from his new home in Jersey City, sadly explains to Caleb Bach that, aside from the other tragic aspects of September 11, a principal signpost of his immigrant life is now gone. Jorge Riveros Cayo introduces us to Baldomero Alejos Bautista, and explains how historic fragments of Ayacucho, Peru, have been restored in thousands of images that are this photographer's life's work. Kevin Carrel Footer, describing the transformation of wine making in Mendoza, Argentina, mentions the foreign companies that have invested in and upgraded wineries, but he concentrates on the Argentines who have regained the competitive initiative and have revitalized the industry, even in these hard times.

Keith Bildstein and Charles Duncan describe new efforts in Costa Rico to study and sustain the migratory patterns of raptors, revealing how much more we need to learn about these magnificent species on their Southern Hemisphere sojourns. Caught in the tenuous balance that affects all environmental tourism, the...