La Macarena, Virgin of Hope
Seville, Spain



Portuguese Bullfighting

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The Buried Mirror:
The Virgin and the Bull

(59 min., 1991, VC 3933, pt. 1)

Bullfighting

Mexico

Portugal

Spain

Catalonia

Basques

Cave art from Grotte Chauvet, France
Bear (left). Aurochs and rhinoceros (right)
Source: Understanding Physical Anthropology and Archaeology, 8th ed.
(Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2002), p. 335

". . . The mirror, for American Indians, . . . symbolized power, the sun, the Earth, its four corners, and its people. Now, an extraordinary 'mirror' is being held up to the Old and New worlds to reflect the diverse cultures of Spanish-speaking countries and peoples, together with the themes, institutions, beliefs, and symbols that have endured or changed through time."

"Vibrant and illuminating, The Buried Mirror is an epic portrait of a remarkable history. . . ."

"Best-selling Mexican author Carlos Fuentes looks for his forebears in the mix of people that created Latin America: Spanish, Arab, Jewish, Indian and Africa. He asks what is unique in their culture that is cause for celebration in the 500th anniversary year of Columbus."

"His quest takes him from the quayside of Vera Cruz to Spain, to the dark caves of Altamira, the harsh sunlight of the bullring and the stamping feet of the flamenco dancer. . . ." -- Media Resources Center, University of North Carolina

Carlos Fuentes -- Academy of Achievement

• Fuentes, Carlos. The Buried Mirror: Reflections on Spain and the New World. Marriner, 1999.