Through the Eyes of the Condor: An Aerial Vision of Latin America

Step aboard a private plane for a breathtaking tour of the immense and varied wilderness of Latin America--lush lands and scenic waterways nearly impossible to experience any other way. Your guide to this remarkable vision is Robert B. Haas, award-winning environmentalist and one of the world's foremost artists in aerial photography.

To create this elegant portfolio, Haas covered 14 countries and an astonishing 80 percent of the land mass of Latin America. In magnificent color and exquisite composition, he captures the majesty of the Amazon, the fickleness of rare wildlife in Patagonia, and the incredible topography of untouched lands. Photographs are presented in large double-page panoramas, inviting the viewer to appreciate their abstract qualities and become absorbed in rich details. The aerial perspective gives a generous view of the land below: While large-scale environmental effects may be seen, man's blemishes are mostly diminished when viewed against the vastness of the land. A full-page map highlights countries and specific places photographed.

An introduction by Marie Arana--author of American Chica and Cellophane--prefaces the book. The photographs and commentary are organized thematically: landscapes, humans and their impact, wildlife, abstracts, ancient sites. Poignant essays penned by Haas while living in Latin America expand on themes important to understanding the region: culture, economy, development, tourism, and more.