 A five-volume sweeping look at the past and present of Latin America, hosted by Carlos Fuentes. THE VIRGIN AND THE BULL: Best-selling Mexican author Fuentes looks for his forebears in the mix of people that created Latin America: Spanish, Arab, Jewish, Indian, and African. 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 at Vera Cruz "where the Mediterranean comes to an end in the Caribbean" back to the dark caves of Altamirea, the harsh sunlight of the bullring, and the stamping feet of the flamenco dancer. CONFLICT OF THE GODS: In his lifetime, Fuentes has witnessed the rediscovery of the ancient Aztec temples beneath the central square of modern Mexico City. "So we found out that what we thought was dead was really alive." He retraces the Indian world through their magnificent pyramids and sculptures, a world of precise astronomy and human sacrifice, serenity and violence. The return of their blond, exiled god was forecast for the very year Cortes reached their shores. THE AGE OF GOLD: The New World bought Spain (and ultimately Europe) enormous treasures: gold, silver, chocolate, tomatoes, potatoes. Yet Spain s most powerful ruler, Philip II, lived in austere solitude in a cell-like study. He sought to protect the Catholic faith, while the Spanish author Cervantes questioned all values in Don Quixote, the prototype of the modern novel. Courtly painters and Baroque style vaulted the Atlantic and celebrated its transformation into a tool for Indian fantasy in the magnificent churches of Potosi and Ocotlan. THE PRICE OF FREEDOM: Every year, a million Mexicans gather in the great central square of their capital to celebrate El Grito, the cry for Independence. Fuentes crosses the Andes in the steps of Bolivar and San Martin. The liberators succeeded n throwing off the Spanish yoke, but they found it harder to establish a just society. For the gaucho there was the consolation of the open spaces, the mountains, and the plains. And for those crowding into the new cities like Buenos Aires, there was the tango, a sad thought that can be danced. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Spain, Latin America, the Hispanic communities in the U. S.: all have undergone enormous changes in this century. Within the lifetime of those born now, half the population of the U.S. will be Spanish speaking. Every year, half a million brave the border patrols to enter the States illegally. "They are looking for the Gringo gold, but also bringing the Latino gold," Carlos Fuentes observes. Hispanic immigrants contribute a wealth of tradition: diverse cultural creativity in art, music, and dace, respect for family ties--distinct hallmarks of the Spanish-speaking world