Culture of Fire

In the spring of 1998, Don Carlos Mendez, a legendary fighter for Guatemalan conservation, was making emergency calls on his radio. The Mendezes had been enjoying a family dinner when Don Carlos' son called him to the window. Bright flames lit young seedlings just above their home in the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve.

The fires outside the Mendezes' window were purposely set; his own neighbors were burning the reserve to send a signal. Mendez was soon on the radio begging Defensores de la Naturaleza, a small Guatemalan nonprofit with a mandate to protect the forest, for assistance. Little was forthcoming but, fortunately, the fire went out on its own before much harm could be done.

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