From the editor.

• Position: Editorial

Happy New Year to all our readers! In 2010, Américas will continue to cover the incredible diversity of our continent and explore the wealth of personalities and events that bring flavor to our daily lives.

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One particularity of 2010 is that the OAS has declared it the Inter-American Year of Women. In celebration, this issue presents some Inspiring examples of the growing leadership of women in all walks of life.

You may have also heard that the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are about to take place in Canada. As athletes from all over the world prepare to head to Vancouver and Whistler, Américas gives you a taste of the growing anticipation not only in the powerhouse camp of Canada but also among the dark horse contenders of Latin America. The Olympics should inspire all American youth to engage in competitive play.

From the icy rinks of British Colombia we travel through space and time to Puerto Rico, the Island of Enchantment, captured through the soulful lenses of the great photographers of the 1940s. From there, we head to the Caribbean community of Santa Marta, the oldest city of Colombia and a place full of spectacular scenery, history, and culture. The final stop in South America is at la Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, the place where liberator Simón Bolivar drew his last breath.

We leave the sunny coast behind and enter the dark and mysterious caves of Mexico that are home to legions of bats. Américas has joined the campaign to debunk the myth that these "flying mice" are harmful blood suckers. In fact, study after study show...