Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.
Up Next
Back to Show
The Desert Speaks
Passions of the Pitaya
Season 17
Episode 1703
Travel with host David Yetman and Mexican ecologist Alberto Búrquez to an annual festival dedicated to Pitaya cactus fruit. In Techaluta, Yetman watches workers harvest Pitayas by lamplight, places a bet on a midday horserace, and participates in a Pitaya-eating contest. Then visit Infiernillo “Little Hell,” where the dry, hot temperature is ideal for the cultivation of a distinct type of Pitaya.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Visit three groups of sand dunes located on public land in the United States.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Join the search in Buena Vista, Sonora for the descendants of Ópata palm weavers.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Take a look into the ways people collect and enjoy some of the oddest plants in the world.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Take a trip to La Paz, Bolivia. At 12,000ft it is one of the highest cities in the world.
26:14
Hit the road on an adventure from Lima, Peru through this “driest desert in the world.”
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
The intrepid travelers begin a thorough investigation into the weird, wild plants of Baja.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
In Baja, the musing and memories of the ancient people adorn the walls in a dry cave.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
A journey to Baja, California and then continuing south to further explore.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Catch a rare glimpse into the life, culture, and traditions of the native Mayo Indians.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:14
Evidence suggests that the ancestral Pueblo Indians accurately marked astronomical events.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:13
We visit The Valle de Tehuacán, the birthplace for domestic corn.
Unlock with PBS Passport
26:12
A trip through the Valley of Tehuacán to the ancient city of Oaxaca in southern Mexico.