From the editor.

• Position: Editorial

Whether it's a new literary collection, an ancient Maya wonder, or a stunning view of a flock of scarlet ibises in flight, this issue of Americas offers much to discover.

The legacy of Latin America's frost Nobel laureate for literature, Gabriela Mistral, gets a fresh look with the discovery of more than 100 boxes of documents that belonged to this remarkable author. Elisa Montesinos takes us step by step through the process of recovering the collection and returning it to Mistral's native Chile.

We rediscover many of the hemisphere's familiar landmarks by seeing them from a different perspective. Photographer Robert Haas, author of the National Geographic Society book Through the Eyes of the Condor, talks about capturing the essence of Latin America from above, where national boundaries and cultural differences disappear. Americas thanks the photographer and National Geographic for allowing us to publish his spectacular images; we also appreciate the efforts of Panama's Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Aristides Royo, for making possible the presentation of this book at an event held in the OAS Hall of the Americas.

From the glorious heights of Haas's camera, we return to Earth for a conversation with Panama's colorful "Minister of Salsa." Ruben Blades, a former presidential candidate known around the world as an actor and salsa musician, today serves as his country's Minister of Tourism--and an inspiration for many who may have lost hope in politics...