1 00:00:02,700 --> 00:00:04,860 I'm on another huge journey. 2 00:00:04,860 --> 00:00:07,820 This time, I'm travelling the length of the Americas. 3 00:00:07,820 --> 00:00:12,500 It's a journey down through two vast continents 4 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:16,020 that cover more than a quarter of the world's land surface. 5 00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:21,100 It'll take me to places of myth and wonder. 6 00:00:22,420 --> 00:00:25,660 Feels like stumbling upon a secret kingdom. 7 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:29,100 From the frozen beauty of the Arctic... 8 00:00:29,100 --> 00:00:30,540 HE LAUGHS 9 00:00:30,540 --> 00:00:33,180 ..I'm travelling to some of the world's great cities... 10 00:00:33,180 --> 00:00:36,820 Oh, this is completely breathtaking. 11 00:00:36,820 --> 00:00:39,860 SOLDIERS SHOUT IN OWN LANGUAGE 12 00:00:39,860 --> 00:00:43,700 ..then on into the beautiful and blighted tropics... 13 00:00:43,700 --> 00:00:46,380 We're with armed conservationists. 14 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:49,420 ..to the heart of the battle to save the planet. 15 00:00:49,420 --> 00:00:51,460 GUNSHOT 16 00:00:55,300 --> 00:00:57,980 On this part of my journey down through the Americas, 17 00:00:57,980 --> 00:01:00,780 I'm travelling from Texas into Mexico, and south 18 00:01:00,780 --> 00:01:03,020 towards Central America. 19 00:01:03,020 --> 00:01:07,060 Mexico is chock full of epic landscapes, 20 00:01:07,060 --> 00:01:09,260 beauty... 21 00:01:09,260 --> 00:01:11,180 Buenos Dias! 22 00:01:11,180 --> 00:01:12,620 ..and rich history. 23 00:01:13,940 --> 00:01:16,580 And this is actual border wall structure. 24 00:01:16,580 --> 00:01:18,740 But on the border with the US, 25 00:01:18,740 --> 00:01:21,740 there's an unfolding migrant crisis... 26 00:01:21,740 --> 00:01:24,380 Look at all of these people, all these children! 27 00:01:24,380 --> 00:01:27,860 They're actually a favourite target for kidnapping. 28 00:01:27,860 --> 00:01:32,060 ..in a region gripped by a deadly drug war. 29 00:01:32,060 --> 00:01:34,620 There's some serious hardware coming with us. 30 00:01:45,820 --> 00:01:50,020 I'm in the very far southeast of the United States, 31 00:01:50,020 --> 00:01:52,820 and I'm just beginning another leg of my journey 32 00:01:52,820 --> 00:01:55,260 down through the Americas. 33 00:01:55,260 --> 00:01:59,740 This is the international border between the United States 34 00:01:59,740 --> 00:02:04,580 on this side, and those people over there are in Mexico! 35 00:02:06,420 --> 00:02:11,700 And I am stunned because this border is the scene of a political 36 00:02:11,700 --> 00:02:16,180 and humanitarian migrant refugee crisis. 37 00:02:16,180 --> 00:02:20,020 But on this side here, there's no-one here. 38 00:02:20,020 --> 00:02:22,700 There's no Border Patrol post. 39 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:24,780 There's no coastguard. 40 00:02:24,780 --> 00:02:27,460 There's not even any tourists. 41 00:02:27,460 --> 00:02:28,740 There's just us. 42 00:02:30,060 --> 00:02:34,020 For 1,200 miles, the Rio Grande River IS the border. 43 00:02:34,020 --> 00:02:36,260 It runs from its source in the Rocky Mountains 44 00:02:36,260 --> 00:02:38,100 to here in the Gulf of Mexico. 45 00:02:39,340 --> 00:02:43,980 It's a border, a barrier and a moat between the world's richest country 46 00:02:43,980 --> 00:02:47,260 and Mexico and much poorer Central America. 47 00:02:48,260 --> 00:02:53,220 Here in Texas, immigration from the south is hugely controversial. 48 00:02:53,220 --> 00:02:57,660 Hispanic and Latino people have been in what's now the USA for centuries. 49 00:02:57,660 --> 00:03:01,660 With more recent migration, they now number around 50 million. 50 00:03:01,660 --> 00:03:05,260 By 2050, it's been predicted their numbers could rise further 51 00:03:05,260 --> 00:03:10,020 to perhaps 130 million people due to birth rate and more migration. 52 00:03:10,020 --> 00:03:11,820 I think this is the guy. 53 00:03:12,860 --> 00:03:14,020 OK! 54 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:19,300 Let's go and say hello. 55 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:22,380 Officer Herman Rivera. Correct. How you doing? Hello, Simon Reeve. 56 00:03:22,380 --> 00:03:24,980 Lovely to see you. Likewise. How you doing? 57 00:03:24,980 --> 00:03:29,580 Herman is one of 3,000 Border Patrol officers in just this region, 58 00:03:29,580 --> 00:03:31,140 the Rio Grande Valley. 59 00:03:32,420 --> 00:03:36,220 There's been much talk about putting a wall along the border, 60 00:03:36,220 --> 00:03:40,260 but it turns out long stretches are already fenced. 61 00:03:40,260 --> 00:03:43,700 This is actual border wall structure which you see here to your left. 62 00:03:43,700 --> 00:03:46,980 So... Oh, right, yeah, this is border wall or border fence. 63 00:03:46,980 --> 00:03:51,660 Yes. We can see it snaking in the distance there. 64 00:03:51,660 --> 00:03:54,700 So on our left is what? Through the fence is the actual... 65 00:03:54,700 --> 00:03:56,860 ..the city itself. 66 00:03:56,860 --> 00:03:59,460 And on the right, this is still the United States? Correct. 67 00:03:59,460 --> 00:04:01,380 We're still in America. 68 00:04:01,380 --> 00:04:04,860 Is that efficient at stopping people coming across? 69 00:04:04,860 --> 00:04:06,820 It does what it's designed to do. 70 00:04:06,820 --> 00:04:10,100 Basically, it's to make somebody second-guess, you know, 71 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:13,580 how they're going to come across and when they're going to come across. 72 00:04:14,580 --> 00:04:19,220 The US-Mexico border is 2,000 miles long. 73 00:04:19,220 --> 00:04:21,900 Successive US governments have put up physical barriers 74 00:04:21,900 --> 00:04:23,740 along stretches. 75 00:04:23,740 --> 00:04:28,780 In total, about a third of the border is already fenced, 76 00:04:28,780 --> 00:04:31,740 with an assortment of steel bars and barriers of different 77 00:04:31,740 --> 00:04:33,060 shapes and sizes. 78 00:04:34,860 --> 00:04:37,940 It is not everywhere where it's needed. Right. 79 00:04:37,940 --> 00:04:39,780 This right here? 80 00:04:39,780 --> 00:04:42,020 That's the furthest-west wall structure 81 00:04:42,020 --> 00:04:43,940 that there is in this sector. Right. 82 00:04:43,940 --> 00:04:47,700 So, further from here on west, there's none of this. 83 00:04:47,700 --> 00:04:49,900 OK. So it's all wide open. 84 00:04:49,900 --> 00:04:51,940 No fence, no wall? No fencing, no nothing. 85 00:04:51,940 --> 00:04:54,820 The idea of building a wall along the entire border 86 00:04:54,820 --> 00:04:58,780 is an extremely divisive issue in the US. 87 00:04:58,780 --> 00:05:01,780 Critics say it would stoke anti-immigrant feeling - 88 00:05:01,780 --> 00:05:06,180 and that a wall would be impractical and very expensive. 89 00:05:06,180 --> 00:05:10,660 High steel fencing stretches along 50 miles of this sector. 90 00:05:10,660 --> 00:05:15,380 Elsewhere, it's the Rio Grande River that's left as the barrier. 91 00:05:15,380 --> 00:05:19,540 I mean, this is eminently swimmable, I would have thought, 92 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:20,700 in a couple of minutes. 93 00:05:20,700 --> 00:05:23,620 Most of the people that come through this, through the river itself, 94 00:05:23,620 --> 00:05:26,620 they come on a raft. And the reason why they come on a raft is because, 95 00:05:26,620 --> 00:05:29,380 believe it or not, the current in this river is actually very strong. 96 00:05:29,380 --> 00:05:31,980 Right. Dangerously so? Very. 97 00:05:31,980 --> 00:05:34,860 And, unfortunately, people have lost their lives, 98 00:05:34,860 --> 00:05:38,380 you know, crossing this river. Right, right. 99 00:05:38,380 --> 00:05:40,620 It wasn't long before we started finding some of those 100 00:05:40,620 --> 00:05:42,980 who'd made it across. 101 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:45,380 These people just here? Mm-hm. 102 00:05:45,380 --> 00:05:48,420 That's maybe, I think, four adults? But I'm not entirely sure. 103 00:05:48,420 --> 00:05:51,060 There's a lot of children over there. 104 00:05:57,860 --> 00:05:59,740 I think we're going to stay back a little bit. 105 00:05:59,740 --> 00:06:02,780 I really don't want to freak these poor little kids out there. 106 00:06:13,020 --> 00:06:14,620 This is astonishing! There's... 107 00:06:14,620 --> 00:06:17,780 There's several different family groups here. 108 00:06:17,780 --> 00:06:22,500 We've got people here from Honduras and El Salvador, 109 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:24,220 but also Ecuador. 110 00:06:24,220 --> 00:06:28,220 Ecuador, which is a lot further away - properly in South America. 111 00:06:28,220 --> 00:06:29,660 I find it heartbreaking. 112 00:06:30,820 --> 00:06:31,900 Why have you come here? 113 00:06:54,340 --> 00:06:56,220 How old is your daughter? 114 00:06:57,620 --> 00:07:00,300 You've taken huge risks to get here. 115 00:07:00,300 --> 00:07:03,220 What are you hoping to find here now? 116 00:07:11,860 --> 00:07:12,940 OK. 117 00:07:20,860 --> 00:07:23,300 I could totally understand, as far as some of the reasons 118 00:07:23,300 --> 00:07:25,540 why they're coming. You know, if I was in their shoes, 119 00:07:25,540 --> 00:07:27,780 I'd do the same thing. But it's... 120 00:07:27,780 --> 00:07:30,100 That's a very powerful thing for you to say. Well... 121 00:07:30,100 --> 00:07:31,540 I mean, it's rightfully so. 122 00:07:31,540 --> 00:07:34,260 I mean, there's gotta be reasons why they come in the first place. 123 00:07:34,260 --> 00:07:37,660 So if they're willing to travel that far, there's gotta be a reason. 124 00:07:37,660 --> 00:07:39,540 You know, it's... You know, it's... 125 00:07:39,540 --> 00:07:42,220 I'm not in a position to make that judgment. You know... 126 00:07:42,220 --> 00:07:45,220 Yeah, they weren't hiding here, were they? Right. They weren't hiding. 127 00:07:45,220 --> 00:07:47,260 They were just out in the open, waiting for somebody - 128 00:07:47,260 --> 00:07:50,500 the first available agent - and that happens to be me. 129 00:07:50,500 --> 00:07:54,060 I was in Texas at a time when migration had surged. 130 00:07:54,060 --> 00:07:57,820 Tens of thousands of migrants were crossing the border illegally. 131 00:07:57,820 --> 00:08:00,860 Migrants here used to be overwhelmingly Mexican. 132 00:08:00,860 --> 00:08:05,980 Now they're mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. 133 00:08:05,980 --> 00:08:10,260 It's because of violence and poverty and also drought in Central America, 134 00:08:10,260 --> 00:08:13,500 but it's also for education, health care, jobs - 135 00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:15,980 a complicated mix of reasons. 136 00:08:15,980 --> 00:08:19,140 People come with children to give them a better life, 137 00:08:19,140 --> 00:08:23,420 but also to increase their chances of being allowed to stay. 138 00:08:23,420 --> 00:08:25,860 Er... There's some right there. 139 00:08:25,860 --> 00:08:28,700 Well, they're certainly not running when they hear you coming, are they? 140 00:08:28,700 --> 00:08:30,340 No. No, not necessarily. 141 00:08:30,340 --> 00:08:31,980 There's a pregnant lady there! 142 00:08:31,980 --> 00:08:35,460 I mean, look at all of these people, all these children! 143 00:08:35,460 --> 00:08:38,180 Let me just call in to come pick 'em up. OK. 144 00:08:39,260 --> 00:08:41,260 Hey, Casper, copy? 145 00:08:42,460 --> 00:08:45,580 Migrants were waiting to be picked up by Border Patrol, 146 00:08:45,580 --> 00:08:47,980 and most will then try to claim asylum in the US. 147 00:08:50,900 --> 00:08:53,460 Border Patrol claims that processing the huge numbers 148 00:08:53,460 --> 00:08:57,340 is stretching its resources to breaking point. 149 00:08:57,340 --> 00:08:59,860 The sheer volume of people that we're encountering 150 00:08:59,860 --> 00:09:03,220 within the sector is somewhat staggering. 151 00:09:03,220 --> 00:09:06,500 So two, four, six, eight, nine? 152 00:09:06,500 --> 00:09:09,140 In just one month in 2019, 153 00:09:09,140 --> 00:09:13,380 more than 140,000 migrants were detained crossing the border, 154 00:09:13,380 --> 00:09:15,620 almost 5,000 a day. 155 00:09:15,620 --> 00:09:18,660 Sometimes it felt like Herman was running a shuttle service. 156 00:09:27,140 --> 00:09:29,060 Families are registered by the road, 157 00:09:29,060 --> 00:09:31,900 then taken for background checks at detention centres - 158 00:09:31,900 --> 00:09:34,980 some heavily criticised for poor conditions. 159 00:09:37,540 --> 00:09:40,420 OK, these people right here? They're ones that turn themselves in, 160 00:09:40,420 --> 00:09:43,380 so they might be bringing some more here. 161 00:09:43,380 --> 00:09:47,620 If migrants prove they fled violence or persecution, they may get asylum. 162 00:09:47,620 --> 00:09:51,900 But despite its poverty and gangs, Central America is not at war. 163 00:09:51,900 --> 00:09:57,140 I mean, this is much more like a informal immigration point. 164 00:09:57,140 --> 00:10:00,140 Most are deemed to be economic migrants, 165 00:10:00,140 --> 00:10:02,740 rather than people in genuine need of asylum, 166 00:10:02,740 --> 00:10:04,580 and they face deportation. 167 00:10:04,580 --> 00:10:07,020 But there's a massive backlog in the courts. 168 00:10:07,020 --> 00:10:08,740 Cases drag on for years. 169 00:10:08,740 --> 00:10:10,740 Hundreds of thousands have disappeared, 170 00:10:10,740 --> 00:10:13,980 joined other family members, started new lives here. 171 00:10:15,140 --> 00:10:16,780 The numbers... 172 00:10:16,780 --> 00:10:20,380 The numbers of people coming are clearly really overwhelming. 173 00:10:20,380 --> 00:10:22,460 This is a huge country. 174 00:10:22,460 --> 00:10:27,260 It could conceivably house, home, welcome 175 00:10:27,260 --> 00:10:30,420 millions and millions more people. It could. 176 00:10:30,420 --> 00:10:33,020 But it has no appetite for that. 177 00:10:33,020 --> 00:10:35,940 To me, this situation feels unsustainable. 178 00:10:35,940 --> 00:10:37,380 If current rates continue, 179 00:10:37,380 --> 00:10:40,300 it's claimed 10% of Guatemala and Honduras 180 00:10:40,300 --> 00:10:43,180 will try to migrate here in the next decade. 181 00:10:43,180 --> 00:10:45,700 That'll include some of the brightest and best, 182 00:10:45,700 --> 00:10:49,740 and it's hard for countries to flourish when vast numbers leave. 183 00:10:49,740 --> 00:10:53,980 A majority of time is now spent processing people... Correct. 184 00:10:53,980 --> 00:10:56,980 ..and not enough time is being spent monitoring the border for drugs, 185 00:10:56,980 --> 00:10:59,060 for narcotics coming across. Right. 186 00:10:59,060 --> 00:11:02,220 But this is what's concerning about it, is that these agents, 187 00:11:02,220 --> 00:11:05,340 they're going to spend their whole shift literally here, sitting down, 188 00:11:05,340 --> 00:11:08,900 while God knows what is coming through. 189 00:11:12,500 --> 00:11:15,340 It was time for me to cross the river... 190 00:11:16,540 --> 00:11:18,900 ..into a dangerous area of Mexico. 191 00:11:20,580 --> 00:11:25,340 It's one of the most violent parts of the entire Americas. 192 00:11:25,340 --> 00:11:27,940 Vast quantities of drugs are trafficked through the border 193 00:11:27,940 --> 00:11:30,580 by the powerful Mexican drug cartels. 194 00:11:32,100 --> 00:11:34,140 The cartels now also traffic and prey 195 00:11:34,140 --> 00:11:37,020 on the huge numbers of migrants - 196 00:11:37,020 --> 00:11:40,780 thousands of desperate men, women and children who've travelled up 197 00:11:40,780 --> 00:11:44,020 through Mexico and wait on the other side of the border 198 00:11:44,020 --> 00:11:45,900 for their chance to cross. 199 00:11:49,940 --> 00:11:51,420 We've got an empty suitcase. 200 00:11:51,420 --> 00:11:53,180 Yeah. 201 00:11:53,180 --> 00:11:55,100 And a lot of soap. 202 00:11:55,100 --> 00:11:57,100 Nido, that's powdered milk. 203 00:11:57,100 --> 00:12:01,180 They ask for Clorox all the time, you know, for disinfectants. 204 00:12:01,180 --> 00:12:05,420 And you've got a whole box... Box of diapers. 205 00:12:05,420 --> 00:12:08,460 ..of nappies here. And I don't know if they'll all fit in. 206 00:12:08,460 --> 00:12:09,660 Who's all this for? 207 00:12:09,660 --> 00:12:13,860 This is all for refugees, most of them from Central America, 208 00:12:13,860 --> 00:12:15,700 parts of Mexico. 209 00:12:15,700 --> 00:12:18,820 Jennifer Harbury is a volunteer who makes weekly trips, 210 00:12:18,820 --> 00:12:23,140 taking vital supplies to a migrant shelter across the border in Mexico. 211 00:12:23,140 --> 00:12:28,180 That soap is so heavy! OK. There we go. 212 00:12:28,180 --> 00:12:31,260 Excellent. 213 00:12:31,260 --> 00:12:33,780 Is there any more magic space in there? 214 00:12:33,780 --> 00:12:35,940 I think there's magic space in there, yeah. 215 00:12:35,940 --> 00:12:39,540 I think this is probably the most useful thing I will do all day. 216 00:12:39,540 --> 00:12:42,020 Oh, that's way past useful. 217 00:12:42,020 --> 00:12:45,900 Jennifer, how would you describe this area of Mexico that 218 00:12:45,900 --> 00:12:48,300 we're going towards now? 219 00:12:48,300 --> 00:12:54,380 Impoverished, terrifying, completely subject to cartel rule, deadly. 220 00:12:56,460 --> 00:12:59,500 That's a fairly bleak picture. It is. 221 00:12:59,500 --> 00:13:01,340 I think also what's frightening for me 222 00:13:01,340 --> 00:13:05,260 about that is you're not an American who's just consumed 223 00:13:05,260 --> 00:13:09,460 the propaganda and the media, you've actually been there. 224 00:13:09,460 --> 00:13:12,700 I'm one of the few Americans that's willing to go over there 225 00:13:12,700 --> 00:13:15,420 because of the violence and the kidnappings. 226 00:13:15,420 --> 00:13:19,380 Border Patrol's not allowed to go over there, even to visit relatives. 227 00:13:19,380 --> 00:13:20,980 It's too dangerous. 228 00:13:20,980 --> 00:13:23,860 And how do you feel? Are you safe, going there? 229 00:13:23,860 --> 00:13:25,300 So far, so good. 230 00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:28,700 There's an ironic laugh there, that suggests you're not immune. 231 00:13:28,700 --> 00:13:32,380 Not immune. OK, so we might hold the camera down a little bit now. 232 00:13:32,380 --> 00:13:34,260 We're just still trying to film, 233 00:13:34,260 --> 00:13:37,260 but we might be a bit more discreet because on the left, 234 00:13:37,260 --> 00:13:42,500 there's Border Patrol unit, that looks more like a riot control unit. 235 00:13:42,500 --> 00:13:45,980 Customs... Rolls of razor wire and they've got riot shields with them. 236 00:13:48,020 --> 00:13:53,500 So, here now, is this America or Mexico? This would be Mexico. 237 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:55,980 Look at the queue over the other side! Yeah. 238 00:13:55,980 --> 00:13:59,020 So, these are people waiting to come into the United States. 239 00:13:59,020 --> 00:14:03,260 Yes, and most of them probably have visas and have jobs 240 00:14:03,260 --> 00:14:05,420 and stuff on the other side. 241 00:14:05,420 --> 00:14:08,420 Most migrants don't even get close to the bridge 242 00:14:08,420 --> 00:14:11,180 because at the behest of the Americans, the Mexican 243 00:14:11,180 --> 00:14:14,220 government has been cracking down and won't let them cross. 244 00:14:14,220 --> 00:14:17,300 Here, they're pushed back into the border city of Reynosa, 245 00:14:17,300 --> 00:14:20,140 one of the most dangerous places in Mexico. 246 00:14:20,140 --> 00:14:23,780 So, it's a very small car, but it's a radio station car. 247 00:14:23,780 --> 00:14:27,900 These are some local friends, who are giving us a little bit of cover. 248 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:31,700 It looks like we're having a police escort. 249 00:14:33,140 --> 00:14:34,580 This was the trickiest part 250 00:14:34,580 --> 00:14:36,860 so far of my journey down through the Americas. 251 00:14:38,180 --> 00:14:39,860 Much of the city of Reynosa 252 00:14:39,860 --> 00:14:43,020 and this whole region is in the grip of one of the world's most 253 00:14:43,020 --> 00:14:46,500 powerful criminal organisations, the Gulf Cartel. 254 00:14:46,500 --> 00:14:50,380 The cartel trafficks billions of dollars of drugs, 255 00:14:50,380 --> 00:14:53,980 but the Narcos also control illegal migration across the river 256 00:14:53,980 --> 00:14:55,980 border with the USA. 257 00:14:55,980 --> 00:14:59,940 To our right is the riverfront, it's very overgrown, but there 258 00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:03,780 are many sentries down there because the cartels own the riverfront. 259 00:15:03,780 --> 00:15:06,220 You can not cross without having paid the fee 260 00:15:06,220 --> 00:15:09,220 and you get your special PIN number and stuff. 261 00:15:09,220 --> 00:15:11,740 Sorry, did you say a PIN number? 262 00:15:11,740 --> 00:15:14,740 Yeah, they'll actually give you a confirmation number that 263 00:15:14,740 --> 00:15:17,020 you've paid up - and you'd better have it. 264 00:15:17,020 --> 00:15:19,020 They'll call to you as you cross. 265 00:15:22,460 --> 00:15:26,540 The Mexican state has waged a long war against the cartels, but 266 00:15:26,540 --> 00:15:31,900 here in the border zone, there are areas it simply does not control. 267 00:15:31,900 --> 00:15:35,580 So, the police have been following us behind and the police have 268 00:15:35,580 --> 00:15:38,980 now disappeared because we must have entered cartel territory. 269 00:15:38,980 --> 00:15:41,580 And the police... The police don't come here. 270 00:15:46,620 --> 00:15:49,060 Properly get this... 271 00:15:49,060 --> 00:15:51,140 OK. There we go. 272 00:15:54,380 --> 00:15:56,340 Jennifer, what is this place? 273 00:15:56,340 --> 00:16:00,260 This is the shelter for refugees, called Senda de Vida. 274 00:16:00,260 --> 00:16:03,100 Behind you, you'll see many tents. 275 00:16:03,100 --> 00:16:07,700 It used to be 50 to 100 people here, it's now probably 600 today. 276 00:16:07,700 --> 00:16:12,060 600 people just here? Yes, these are all families. 277 00:16:12,060 --> 00:16:15,300 There's never been a flow of refugees like this 278 00:16:15,300 --> 00:16:18,540 and they've always been able to just go to the bridge and go across. 279 00:16:18,540 --> 00:16:21,580 Now, they're trapped here for months and months and months, 280 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:24,420 so the population's getting bigger and bigger. 281 00:16:24,420 --> 00:16:28,780 Jennifer is a lawyer who has worked and campaigned in Central America. 282 00:16:28,780 --> 00:16:30,940 She's risked her life for decades, 283 00:16:30,940 --> 00:16:33,780 exposing American involvement in human rights abuses 284 00:16:33,780 --> 00:16:36,900 and conflicts which still blight Central America to this day. 285 00:16:59,820 --> 00:17:01,820 In this dangerous part of Mexico, 286 00:17:01,820 --> 00:17:04,700 migrants are desperately vulnerable to exploitation. 287 00:17:06,100 --> 00:17:10,180 This shelter is the only relatively safe haven for miles. 288 00:17:10,180 --> 00:17:12,980 People from around the world have found sanctuary here. 289 00:17:15,020 --> 00:17:17,060 Lovely to meet you. Hello. 290 00:17:17,060 --> 00:17:21,500 Assalaamu Alaikum, lovely to meet you. From Bangladesh, all of you? 291 00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:22,780 Hello, wow! 292 00:17:22,780 --> 00:17:24,020 Hello! Hello! 293 00:17:24,020 --> 00:17:25,420 And why have you come here? 294 00:17:29,820 --> 00:17:32,460 Did you fly from Bangladesh to Mexico? No, no, no. 295 00:17:35,500 --> 00:17:37,140 You walked through Panama? Yes. 296 00:17:50,940 --> 00:17:52,580 How many days you were prisoner? 297 00:17:57,740 --> 00:17:59,380 The police? 298 00:17:59,380 --> 00:18:02,540 So, the Mexican police raided the house you were being kept 299 00:18:02,540 --> 00:18:04,580 in and rescued you? 300 00:18:07,860 --> 00:18:10,540 OK, so you are here waiting to cross the...? 301 00:18:10,540 --> 00:18:12,900 Well, they've had a good experience with the police, 302 00:18:12,900 --> 00:18:15,100 not such a good experience in Mexico. 303 00:18:15,100 --> 00:18:18,780 They've had a very typical experience in Mexico of being 304 00:18:18,780 --> 00:18:22,660 kidnapped. The cartels that own this area... Drug cartels. 305 00:18:22,660 --> 00:18:25,740 The drug cartel, they have learned that although 306 00:18:25,740 --> 00:18:28,340 all these migrants don't have any money themselves, 307 00:18:28,340 --> 00:18:32,020 they have family up north that loves them. In the USA. 308 00:18:32,020 --> 00:18:35,780 And maybe those USA families don't have ten cents either, 309 00:18:35,780 --> 00:18:39,100 maybe they're farm workers, but they will move heaven and earth 310 00:18:39,100 --> 00:18:44,260 to find $5,000 to $10,000 minimum to get their family safe and sound. 311 00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:46,460 So, you know, they see this group, 312 00:18:46,460 --> 00:18:49,860 count how many thousands of dollars that is, and fish in a barrel. 313 00:18:49,860 --> 00:18:53,540 So they're actually a favourite target for kidnapping, 314 00:18:53,540 --> 00:18:57,420 certainly for rape and certainly for trafficking, 315 00:18:57,420 --> 00:19:01,460 so they're probably the most vulnerable group in all of Mexico. 316 00:19:03,900 --> 00:19:06,780 Each year, tens of thousands of migrants are kidnapped 317 00:19:06,780 --> 00:19:10,380 on their journey through Mexico. And by some estimates, 318 00:19:10,380 --> 00:19:13,220 more than half of women are raped or sexually assaulted. 319 00:19:19,140 --> 00:19:22,580 So, I'm leaving here and I'm hoping to meet up with 320 00:19:22,580 --> 00:19:26,060 a representative of the government outside, who is going to 321 00:19:26,060 --> 00:19:30,420 take us on a bit of a tour of this very tricky part of the country. 322 00:19:33,020 --> 00:19:35,980 Gracias. Thank you very much for coming to meet with us. 323 00:19:35,980 --> 00:19:38,620 You're very welcome. And taking us on a little tour. 324 00:19:40,260 --> 00:19:44,380 Victor Martinez is the Chief of Cabinet for the state of Tamaulipas. 325 00:20:01,060 --> 00:20:05,340 So, at the moment, this summer, it's more profitable to send 326 00:20:05,340 --> 00:20:08,980 people across the border than narcotics? Mm-hm. Si. 327 00:20:40,980 --> 00:20:43,780 Hola. Arturo Rodriguez. Arturo, very nice to meet you. Simon Reeve. 328 00:20:43,780 --> 00:20:45,260 Nice to meet you too. 329 00:20:45,260 --> 00:20:48,820 I can explain... I show you what's going on here. Sure. Uh-huh. 330 00:20:49,900 --> 00:20:53,380 Arturo Rodriguez heads up an elite tactical unit, 331 00:20:53,380 --> 00:20:56,180 tasked with targeting the cartels. 332 00:20:56,180 --> 00:20:59,460 Look at the name of them! Black Mamba! 333 00:20:59,460 --> 00:21:02,820 So, this is a hardcore vehicle. 334 00:21:05,340 --> 00:21:07,540 Bloody hell! 335 00:21:07,540 --> 00:21:09,620 You see, this is not OK. 336 00:21:12,660 --> 00:21:14,340 Look at this. 337 00:21:14,340 --> 00:21:18,140 It's an impact from the AK-47. From a Kalashnikov. 338 00:21:18,140 --> 00:21:19,260 That's right. 339 00:21:19,260 --> 00:21:22,220 You can probably see on the top there, this is a... Is it a 340 00:21:22,220 --> 00:21:25,740 Barrett Light Fifty? Yes, it's a .50 calibre barrel, .50 calibre. 341 00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:31,980 .50 calibre bullet. So that's serious firepower. 342 00:21:31,980 --> 00:21:34,380 Yes, very serious. 343 00:21:34,380 --> 00:21:38,460 You are not dealing with 14-year-olds, are you? 344 00:21:38,460 --> 00:21:42,100 You're dealing with trained gunmen, often. 345 00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:45,220 We have dealt with both. Right. Yes. 346 00:21:45,220 --> 00:21:49,500 We have that problem. Sometimes, they are just kids. 347 00:21:49,500 --> 00:21:54,340 A kid with a gun, an AK-47, on a truck, receiving orders, 348 00:21:54,340 --> 00:21:57,540 go and shoot, go and shoot those guys, go and shoot these guys. 349 00:21:57,540 --> 00:21:59,820 I mean, you have to fight back. 350 00:21:59,820 --> 00:22:04,380 Unfortunately, they die, but, I mean, there's no options. 351 00:22:04,380 --> 00:22:06,740 They come and shoot you, you have to shoot back. 352 00:22:06,740 --> 00:22:08,540 Obviously, we want to save your life. 353 00:22:09,780 --> 00:22:12,380 The Mexican government has spent millions training 354 00:22:12,380 --> 00:22:15,180 and equipping this special forces unit. 355 00:22:15,180 --> 00:22:18,220 But in some ways, the cartels are better resourced. 356 00:22:18,220 --> 00:22:20,500 They even run sophisticated intelligence 357 00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:22,700 and surveillance operations. 358 00:22:22,700 --> 00:22:24,780 OK. Show us this, what are these? 359 00:22:24,780 --> 00:22:30,700 Last year, we found these boxes, which are like phone company boxes. 360 00:22:30,700 --> 00:22:36,580 Right. Some of them with even the brand of the phone company. Mm-hm. 361 00:22:36,580 --> 00:22:41,220 And you see they are just like regular phone box. Mm-hm. 362 00:22:41,220 --> 00:22:44,060 But there's some cameras inside. 363 00:22:44,060 --> 00:22:47,940 Look at that! Look! They were watching to us. 364 00:22:47,940 --> 00:22:50,860 We remove all of them. Mm-hm. 365 00:22:50,860 --> 00:22:54,020 What happened, just one month ago, 366 00:22:54,020 --> 00:22:58,500 we find out they've got a new technology, they use these lamps. 367 00:22:58,500 --> 00:23:00,940 It's a street light. Yes. 368 00:23:00,940 --> 00:23:05,740 On the... Look at this! It's the street light here, look at that! 369 00:23:05,740 --> 00:23:07,580 It's a bloody camera! 370 00:23:24,500 --> 00:23:27,740 It's one way of enabling them to terrorise a community. 371 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:30,580 Oh, yes. Ingenious. Oh, yeah. 372 00:23:30,580 --> 00:23:34,660 But when you see this sort of sophistication, 373 00:23:34,660 --> 00:23:36,420 does that frighten you? 374 00:23:36,420 --> 00:23:40,580 We take it seriously, for sure. But, I mean... 375 00:23:40,580 --> 00:23:43,580 Let me show you one that we just... Yesterday. 376 00:23:46,060 --> 00:23:48,780 We're coming into your bedroom, here? Yeah, you can come! 377 00:23:48,780 --> 00:23:52,140 These rifles were captured yesterday. This is AR-15. 378 00:23:52,140 --> 00:23:55,820 But it's 300, the calibre. 379 00:23:55,820 --> 00:23:59,860 This does say on it, curiously, restricted for military, 380 00:23:59,860 --> 00:24:02,900 government, law enforcement export use only. 381 00:24:02,900 --> 00:24:06,620 And it's very quickly found its way into the hands of the bad guys. 382 00:24:06,620 --> 00:24:09,620 It has a laser. A laser on it. 383 00:24:09,620 --> 00:24:12,860 So, is the laser still operational? Yes. Can you switch it on? Yeah. 384 00:24:15,900 --> 00:24:17,140 You see that? 385 00:24:17,140 --> 00:24:20,460 This is a sophisticated and obviously 386 00:24:20,460 --> 00:24:23,820 ludicrously deadly assault rifle. 387 00:24:24,900 --> 00:24:28,100 You are up against weapons of war. 388 00:24:28,100 --> 00:24:31,620 This is what a soldier, a special forces soldier, 389 00:24:31,620 --> 00:24:33,900 would take into a tactical situation. 390 00:24:33,900 --> 00:24:35,620 That's correct. 391 00:24:35,620 --> 00:24:40,060 There's now more than 30,000 killings in Mexico a year. 392 00:24:40,060 --> 00:24:44,540 It's thought around 70% of gun crime involves weapons brought 393 00:24:44,540 --> 00:24:47,500 and smuggled from the United States. 394 00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:50,540 Cartels and corruption drive violence here, 395 00:24:50,540 --> 00:24:54,940 but so does US demand for drugs and the supply of American firearms. 396 00:24:56,220 --> 00:24:58,980 This is the guys.. The times we have been involved with in a shooting 397 00:24:58,980 --> 00:25:01,580 situation. 41 shoot-outs. Yes. 398 00:25:03,020 --> 00:25:04,660 This is the guy we have arrested. 399 00:25:05,900 --> 00:25:10,340 This is the guy that unfortunately they have died, shooting against us. 400 00:25:10,340 --> 00:25:14,780 So that's the number of combat deaths, effectively. Yes. 83. 401 00:25:14,780 --> 00:25:19,180 My goodness! And this is in a small period of time, eight months. 402 00:25:19,180 --> 00:25:23,740 And this is just your unit, in this area. This is talking about 40 guys. 403 00:25:23,740 --> 00:25:25,740 Of one state in Mexico. Yes. 404 00:25:40,580 --> 00:25:42,620 So, we're heading out on patrol with them. 405 00:25:42,620 --> 00:25:47,100 We've got to get our PPE on, 406 00:25:47,100 --> 00:25:48,980 our body armour. 407 00:26:04,460 --> 00:26:05,940 Gracias. 408 00:26:17,740 --> 00:26:18,900 Bloody hell! 409 00:26:21,540 --> 00:26:24,260 There's some serious hardware coming with us. 410 00:26:32,220 --> 00:26:36,540 I think realistically this is all partly to show that 411 00:26:36,540 --> 00:26:39,740 the Mexican state is here in force. 412 00:26:39,740 --> 00:26:42,300 And it is also partly needed. 413 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:44,180 This is a dangerous place. 414 00:26:46,020 --> 00:26:48,940 It's been more than a decade since the Mexican government 415 00:26:48,940 --> 00:26:51,820 declared all-out war on the drug cartels. 416 00:26:51,820 --> 00:26:56,260 In the chaos that's followed, it's thought up to 200,000 people 417 00:26:56,260 --> 00:26:59,260 have died, mainly in battles between the cartel gangs. 418 00:27:00,420 --> 00:27:03,140 The American government classifies this area of Mexico 419 00:27:03,140 --> 00:27:05,500 as a category four conflict zone, 420 00:27:05,500 --> 00:27:09,140 on a par with war-torn countries like Somalia or Yemen. 421 00:27:09,140 --> 00:27:14,260 The United States is not just an observer to this situation. 422 00:27:14,260 --> 00:27:19,620 America and Americans have helped to fuel the drugs trade. 423 00:27:19,620 --> 00:27:23,620 As a country, they sell huge amounts of weapons that ends 424 00:27:23,620 --> 00:27:28,660 up in the hands of drug gangs, that result in this sort of situation. 425 00:27:31,500 --> 00:27:35,060 The violence has left much of the economy here shattered. 426 00:27:35,060 --> 00:27:37,900 Foreign companies have left, factories have shut down. 427 00:27:40,460 --> 00:27:43,820 The state government of Tamaulipas is desperate for investment. 428 00:27:46,700 --> 00:27:51,300 In a heavily armed convoy, Victor took me to see a flagship project, 429 00:27:51,300 --> 00:27:54,460 one he hopes will turn the entire region around. 430 00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:01,540 OK. So, we've arrived. 431 00:28:01,540 --> 00:28:03,180 I can take this off. 432 00:28:06,380 --> 00:28:08,100 Why did you think we should come here? 433 00:28:18,620 --> 00:28:22,620 Against all the odds, around 500 wind turbines are being 434 00:28:22,620 --> 00:28:26,220 installed here, providing green energy to the region. 435 00:28:26,220 --> 00:28:29,300 Victor believes this will become the largest wind farm 436 00:28:29,300 --> 00:28:31,900 project in the whole of Latin America. 437 00:28:31,900 --> 00:28:34,940 He hopes it will change everything, bringing power, 438 00:28:34,940 --> 00:28:36,580 jobs and hope to a troubled area. 439 00:28:50,500 --> 00:28:55,740 If we come back in ten years, what do you hope we will see? 440 00:29:18,180 --> 00:29:20,180 There are few things more normal, I think, 441 00:29:20,180 --> 00:29:22,620 than a wind turbine turning now. 442 00:29:22,620 --> 00:29:27,500 It does look very peaceful, it's industry, it's progress, 443 00:29:27,500 --> 00:29:28,540 it's the future. 444 00:29:34,220 --> 00:29:37,420 Even with our heavily armed escort and armoured cars, 445 00:29:37,420 --> 00:29:40,300 my bodyguards were worried about our safety. 446 00:29:40,300 --> 00:29:42,500 After just 15 minutes, we had to leave 447 00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:44,340 because of the threat from cartels. 448 00:29:45,620 --> 00:29:47,700 It was a sign of just how far this area 449 00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:49,620 is from anything like normality. 450 00:29:51,060 --> 00:29:53,700 I'm not going to overnight here. I'm heading south. 451 00:29:59,580 --> 00:30:03,780 I travelled on to Central Mexico, across this huge country, 452 00:30:03,780 --> 00:30:05,860 eight times the size of the UK. 453 00:30:11,700 --> 00:30:15,620 Too many people just associate Mexico with sombreros and drugs. 454 00:30:15,620 --> 00:30:18,460 There's a lot more to it than that. 455 00:30:18,460 --> 00:30:22,660 Mexico has a population of 130 million, tenth 456 00:30:22,660 --> 00:30:28,380 largest on the planet, and Mexico is actually an economic powerhouse. 457 00:30:28,380 --> 00:30:31,300 I'm coming to part of the country where a lot of big 458 00:30:31,300 --> 00:30:34,540 international corporations are basing themselves here, 459 00:30:34,540 --> 00:30:37,740 working from here, and are making stuff here. 460 00:30:37,740 --> 00:30:41,700 Mexico is one of the world's biggest exporters of cars. 461 00:30:43,140 --> 00:30:45,500 I stopped off in the city of Puebla. 462 00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:47,940 It's best known for its colonial architecture, 463 00:30:47,940 --> 00:30:50,700 but I wanted to visit a huge car factory, 464 00:30:50,700 --> 00:30:54,980 where German carmaker Volkswagen has churned out Beetles and Golfs. 465 00:30:54,980 --> 00:30:56,660 Stephanie? Hi. Stephanie Mayoral. 466 00:30:56,660 --> 00:30:59,900 Nice to meet you. Hello, Stephanie. Simon Reeve, lovely to see you. 467 00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:02,700 Lovely to see you too. Welcome to Volkswagen. Thank you. 468 00:31:02,700 --> 00:31:04,780 Let's have a nice tour today. 469 00:31:04,780 --> 00:31:08,460 Is this your tour bus? Yes, this is my tour bus. Wow! 470 00:31:08,460 --> 00:31:09,900 Please come here. 471 00:31:09,900 --> 00:31:13,300 Stephanie Mayoral is the official tour guide here for industry 472 00:31:13,300 --> 00:31:14,940 execs and visiting travellers. 473 00:31:17,020 --> 00:31:20,820 Tell us a little bit about the size of the plant, if you could. 474 00:31:20,820 --> 00:31:24,700 OK, we have four different factories in only one plant and this is 475 00:31:24,700 --> 00:31:29,220 because here, every single car has its own production lines. Right. 476 00:31:29,220 --> 00:31:32,220 And here, we produce four different models. 477 00:31:34,540 --> 00:31:38,220 So... We're going inside. Yes. Wow! 478 00:31:38,220 --> 00:31:40,340 Oh, my goodness! Look at the size of it! 479 00:31:44,540 --> 00:31:47,860 VW has invested billions in this state-of-the-art plant. 480 00:31:50,300 --> 00:31:54,180 Its proximity to the huge US market and free trade deals with other 481 00:31:54,180 --> 00:31:57,860 countries have helped transform Mexico into a major exporter. 482 00:32:00,980 --> 00:32:04,300 The country produces more than five million cars each year, 483 00:32:04,300 --> 00:32:08,420 three times the number made in the UK, and 80% of them are for export. 484 00:32:10,420 --> 00:32:12,780 It's just like being on safari! It really is! 485 00:32:12,780 --> 00:32:16,220 I mean, such an exotic, otherworldly location. 486 00:32:16,220 --> 00:32:19,780 Foreign firms, especially American ones, love Mexico, 487 00:32:19,780 --> 00:32:21,980 partly because wages are lower here. 488 00:32:21,980 --> 00:32:24,340 The average wage at VW is now reported to 489 00:32:24,340 --> 00:32:29,460 be around £18,000 a year, much less than a US car worker would earn, 490 00:32:29,460 --> 00:32:33,940 but a lot of money in a country where the minimum wage is £4 a day. 491 00:32:33,940 --> 00:32:36,700 There we go. There's the finished cars. 492 00:32:36,700 --> 00:32:41,700 Here work 14,000 employees from Volkswagen and in total, 493 00:32:41,700 --> 00:32:45,340 every day, we receive an amount of 42,000 people, 494 00:32:45,340 --> 00:32:49,660 including suppliers that come to work here too and visitors like you. 495 00:32:49,660 --> 00:32:53,420 Volkswagen has created more than 200,000 employees... Wow! 496 00:32:53,420 --> 00:32:54,900 ..in Mexico. 497 00:32:54,900 --> 00:32:57,740 Can I ask, though, do you sometimes get foreigners who 498 00:32:57,740 --> 00:33:02,620 come on your tour who are really surprised by that? Yes. Totally. 499 00:33:02,620 --> 00:33:07,100 Because they cannot imagine the impact of this factory. 500 00:33:07,100 --> 00:33:10,180 It's not the image of Mexico. 501 00:33:10,180 --> 00:33:16,620 The image of Mexico is not as a major industrial economy. Yes. 502 00:33:16,620 --> 00:33:19,940 But you are! Yes, that's right. Thank you so much for the tour. 503 00:33:19,940 --> 00:33:21,340 You're welcome. All the best! 504 00:33:21,340 --> 00:33:25,060 Thank you so much. I'm off... For you too. Bye-bye. ..to continue my tour. 505 00:33:25,060 --> 00:33:29,820 The Mexican economy isn't just about production lines or sweatshops. 506 00:33:29,820 --> 00:33:32,900 Here, VW is training up the next generation of managers 507 00:33:32,900 --> 00:33:34,380 and robotics engineers. 508 00:33:34,380 --> 00:33:35,500 Wow! 509 00:33:42,260 --> 00:33:46,500 How much training have you had to do to get to this stage, 510 00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:47,740 to be here at VW? 511 00:33:54,580 --> 00:33:57,060 So, this is your university? Yes. 512 00:34:07,220 --> 00:34:10,660 Is there an age when you first fell in love with cars? 513 00:34:10,660 --> 00:34:13,300 Are you somebody who had posters of cars on your wall 514 00:34:13,300 --> 00:34:14,740 when you were a child? 515 00:34:27,300 --> 00:34:29,740 In the past, I think many Mexicans felt 516 00:34:29,740 --> 00:34:35,620 they could only grasp real opportunities by migrating abroad. 517 00:34:35,620 --> 00:34:39,300 Do you feel that you're a lucky generation? 518 00:34:51,580 --> 00:34:55,140 Mexico is now the 11th biggest economy in the world. 519 00:34:55,140 --> 00:34:58,100 By 2050, it's been predicted it could have a bigger economy 520 00:34:58,100 --> 00:35:00,260 than Japan or Germany. 521 00:35:00,260 --> 00:35:04,100 Areas like this are already wealthier than some parts of Europe. 522 00:35:04,100 --> 00:35:07,340 That helps explain why in recent years far fewer Mexicans 523 00:35:07,340 --> 00:35:10,580 have tried to cross the border to the United States to find work. 524 00:35:11,620 --> 00:35:14,420 In fact, more Mexicans are now coming back from the US to 525 00:35:14,420 --> 00:35:16,820 take up jobs here than are trying to migrate. 526 00:35:18,340 --> 00:35:21,740 I continued my journey, heading towards the far south of Mexico. 527 00:35:23,060 --> 00:35:24,820 And are we able to stop here? 528 00:35:24,820 --> 00:35:27,220 Brilliant. Thank you, mate. 529 00:35:29,020 --> 00:35:32,300 We've just stopped by the side of the motorway, you can do that here, 530 00:35:32,300 --> 00:35:34,940 because there is a volcano that is smoking. 531 00:35:38,700 --> 00:35:41,060 But serve me right for stopping on a motorway! 532 00:35:44,220 --> 00:35:45,820 Have you ever seen such a thing?! 533 00:35:51,420 --> 00:35:55,300 We just stopped to film the smoking volcano and this gentleman 534 00:35:55,300 --> 00:35:58,660 has lost one of these, whatever the hell this is, a drum from his load. 535 00:35:59,740 --> 00:36:02,580 Might need a bit of help lifting it in! 536 00:36:09,940 --> 00:36:12,740 I have been in more ridiculous situations, but not many. 537 00:36:22,660 --> 00:36:24,700 Yay! 538 00:36:24,700 --> 00:36:26,340 Nice! No problem! 539 00:36:26,340 --> 00:36:27,340 Stay safe! 540 00:36:34,300 --> 00:36:36,540 Mexico needs many things, 541 00:36:36,540 --> 00:36:39,740 but perhaps tightening up the regulations on what you can 542 00:36:39,740 --> 00:36:42,260 load into a vehicle might be on the top 100 list! 543 00:36:45,860 --> 00:36:49,140 My journey was taking me to Southern Mexico and the rural 544 00:36:49,140 --> 00:36:51,100 and mountainous state of Chiapas. 545 00:37:02,740 --> 00:37:05,340 I arrived in San Cristobal de las Casas. 546 00:37:08,180 --> 00:37:10,300 Built by Mexico's Spanish conquerors, 547 00:37:10,300 --> 00:37:13,860 this colourful colonial city is a popular tourist destination. 548 00:37:18,740 --> 00:37:19,820 Buenos dias. 549 00:37:21,380 --> 00:37:25,700 More than 40 million international tourists visit Mexico each year. 550 00:37:25,700 --> 00:37:28,220 It's the seventh biggest destination in the world. 551 00:37:29,700 --> 00:37:33,260 Look at the police here, compared to what we've seen elsewhere in Mexico. 552 00:37:36,380 --> 00:37:39,540 The south is a very different part of the country. 553 00:37:39,540 --> 00:37:41,180 Beetle! 554 00:37:44,340 --> 00:37:47,020 Many of the people who live in Chiapas are descendants 555 00:37:47,020 --> 00:37:50,260 of the original inhabitants of the Americas. 556 00:37:50,260 --> 00:37:53,100 There are 12 million indigenous people in Mexico, 557 00:37:53,100 --> 00:37:55,500 around one in ten of the population. 558 00:37:55,500 --> 00:37:57,940 Between them, they speak more than 60 languages. 559 00:37:59,580 --> 00:38:01,500 Buenos dias. Un vasito, por favor. 560 00:38:01,500 --> 00:38:03,500 A couple of crickets. 561 00:38:03,500 --> 00:38:05,380 Gracias. 562 00:38:08,700 --> 00:38:09,980 They've been salted 563 00:38:09,980 --> 00:38:12,820 and somebody's poured about a pound of chilli over them. 564 00:38:12,820 --> 00:38:16,940 I mean, actually, they're crunchy and delicious. 565 00:38:24,940 --> 00:38:28,820 Outside San Cristobal, mobile phone signals disappear 566 00:38:28,820 --> 00:38:32,060 and you're out into a world of small scattered rural communities. 567 00:38:33,860 --> 00:38:36,740 Chiapas is the poorest state in Mexico. 568 00:38:36,740 --> 00:38:38,780 Two-thirds of people here live in poverty 569 00:38:38,780 --> 00:38:42,020 and indigenous communities are the poorest of all. 570 00:38:46,100 --> 00:38:48,140 Fuel stop. 571 00:38:53,220 --> 00:38:57,060 Petrol station, Chiapas style. 572 00:38:59,700 --> 00:39:03,060 Inequality rates in Mexico are shockingly high. 573 00:39:03,060 --> 00:39:06,820 Household income in Chiapas is six times less than in some 574 00:39:06,820 --> 00:39:10,100 areas of wealthier Central Mexico. 575 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:13,740 Millions here in Chiapas don't have access to the basics of life 576 00:39:13,740 --> 00:39:16,940 that others in Mexico can take for granted. 577 00:39:16,940 --> 00:39:19,780 Please can I ask, you've got a lovely little shop 578 00:39:19,780 --> 00:39:24,340 and petrol station here, you've got a building made out of concrete, 579 00:39:24,340 --> 00:39:27,100 you're next to a busy road, 580 00:39:27,100 --> 00:39:30,580 I'm surprised you don't have any running water here. 581 00:39:37,260 --> 00:39:39,300 Where does your drinking water come from? 582 00:39:42,180 --> 00:39:44,180 Is it expensive to buy? 583 00:40:04,500 --> 00:40:07,620 This largely indigenous state holds a third of the country's 584 00:40:07,620 --> 00:40:09,500 supplies of water and yet, 585 00:40:09,500 --> 00:40:13,220 many communities here don't have running water they can drink. 586 00:40:13,220 --> 00:40:16,020 Indigenous people have been marginalised, enslaved 587 00:40:16,020 --> 00:40:18,540 and murdered from the time the Americas were first 588 00:40:18,540 --> 00:40:20,860 conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century. 589 00:40:21,900 --> 00:40:24,940 To this day, many indigenous Mexicans complain, 590 00:40:24,940 --> 00:40:27,980 with much justification, they live a second class citizens. 591 00:40:29,300 --> 00:40:30,780 Gracias. 592 00:40:30,780 --> 00:40:32,340 I think we're here. 593 00:40:32,340 --> 00:40:34,060 Let's just hop out. 594 00:40:42,500 --> 00:40:43,740 Simon. 595 00:40:44,940 --> 00:40:46,740 This is your shop. 596 00:40:46,740 --> 00:40:48,660 Do you have any bottled water? 597 00:40:59,220 --> 00:41:01,980 Do you have your own piped running water supply? 598 00:41:04,060 --> 00:41:06,380 Is it possible for us to go to see that? 599 00:41:10,820 --> 00:41:12,940 You are a good team. Good shop assistants. 600 00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:27,580 Oh, wow! 601 00:41:30,700 --> 00:41:33,500 So, this is your... This is your water supply? 602 00:41:33,500 --> 00:41:36,940 This is what your family drink and use for everything? 603 00:41:55,420 --> 00:41:58,700 Locals here believe water levels are falling because factories 604 00:41:58,700 --> 00:42:01,620 have tapped deep wells into the underground water supply. 605 00:42:26,300 --> 00:42:29,620 Just down there is a huge Coca Cola factory. 606 00:42:31,580 --> 00:42:36,420 They have preferential government supplied and agreed access to 607 00:42:36,420 --> 00:42:41,540 billions of litres of delicious Chiapas drinking water. 608 00:42:41,540 --> 00:42:44,620 And, yet, some of the villages around here don't seem to have 609 00:42:44,620 --> 00:42:46,380 barely a drop to drink. 610 00:42:49,540 --> 00:42:52,340 Coca Cola denies responsibility. 611 00:42:52,340 --> 00:42:55,300 It says it pays a market rate set by the government for its water 612 00:42:55,300 --> 00:42:57,980 and provides hundreds of jobs to the local community. 613 00:43:00,860 --> 00:43:03,500 Water is just one of the controversies here in Chiapas. 614 00:43:03,500 --> 00:43:06,620 The state is packed with other natural resources, like gas, 615 00:43:06,620 --> 00:43:07,740 oil and minerals. 616 00:43:10,380 --> 00:43:13,500 But local people complain these resources are being extracted 617 00:43:13,500 --> 00:43:16,860 by big businesses, with few benefits coming to their communities. 618 00:43:19,620 --> 00:43:23,380 Over the years, there have been protests, even uprisings. 619 00:43:23,380 --> 00:43:26,380 Look at all the razor wire here. 620 00:43:26,380 --> 00:43:28,940 So, this is a simple, pretty small, actually, 621 00:43:28,940 --> 00:43:33,700 but definitely very military Mexican army base. 622 00:43:35,180 --> 00:43:37,420 There are a few watchtowers watching the valley, 623 00:43:37,420 --> 00:43:39,100 luckily not seeing us filming. 624 00:43:40,460 --> 00:43:43,500 Tens of thousands of Mexican soldiers have been deployed 625 00:43:43,500 --> 00:43:47,580 here in Chiapas since an armed uprising in 1994. 626 00:43:47,580 --> 00:43:49,340 It was described as a peasants' revolt, 627 00:43:49,340 --> 00:43:52,180 mainly involving indigenous people. 628 00:43:52,180 --> 00:43:54,860 Rebels took control of communities across the region 629 00:43:54,860 --> 00:43:57,980 and declared an independent republic. 630 00:43:57,980 --> 00:44:00,340 In recent decades, there's been uprisings 631 00:44:00,340 --> 00:44:02,780 and campaigns across the Americas, 632 00:44:02,780 --> 00:44:06,860 as indigenous people have demanded more rights and development. 633 00:44:06,860 --> 00:44:10,940 Here, there was a peace process, but tensions have simmered ever since. 634 00:44:10,940 --> 00:44:15,380 Some local officials have come and don't seem very happy about us 635 00:44:15,380 --> 00:44:16,580 filming here. 636 00:44:29,980 --> 00:44:33,660 We're being stopped from filming. Time to go. OK. 637 00:44:33,660 --> 00:44:36,900 Did they explain why we're being stopped from filming? Let's go. 638 00:44:40,340 --> 00:44:45,300 What I think has happened is that some local security, perhaps, 639 00:44:45,300 --> 00:44:48,340 has turned up and they started saying to our guys, 640 00:44:48,340 --> 00:44:51,060 "Look, we don't know who you are, we don't like the look of you, 641 00:44:51,060 --> 00:44:54,380 "and if you don't leave, we're going to get some friends, 642 00:44:54,380 --> 00:44:57,500 "we're going to detain you, and this doesn't always end well." 643 00:45:00,500 --> 00:45:02,780 Most indigenous people in Mexico 644 00:45:02,780 --> 00:45:06,580 and the Americas now live in poorer areas of towns and cities, 645 00:45:06,580 --> 00:45:09,460 or survive on small patches of farmland. 646 00:45:09,460 --> 00:45:12,580 But others here remain closer to their roots, 647 00:45:12,580 --> 00:45:15,500 living alongside or inside the jungle. 648 00:45:15,500 --> 00:45:20,380 Vast areas of Chiapas are covered by rich, dense forest, 649 00:45:20,380 --> 00:45:23,820 including the largest tropical rainforest in all of North America. 650 00:45:29,100 --> 00:45:32,420 I'm heading out on the river, into the jungle. 651 00:45:34,060 --> 00:45:36,060 Pablo! 652 00:45:36,060 --> 00:45:37,460 Buenos dias. 653 00:45:58,220 --> 00:46:00,380 Really feels that for the first time 654 00:46:00,380 --> 00:46:03,060 like I'm properly in Central America. 655 00:46:03,060 --> 00:46:05,940 This is the rainforest. 656 00:46:09,940 --> 00:46:13,620 My guide, Pablo, is one of the Lacandon people. 657 00:46:13,620 --> 00:46:16,140 Until the middle of the 20th century, 658 00:46:16,140 --> 00:46:20,500 the Lacandon generally had little contact with the outside world. 659 00:46:20,500 --> 00:46:23,980 There's now fewer than 1,000 Lacandon. 660 00:46:23,980 --> 00:46:27,260 Today, the rainforest still plays a vital role in their survival. 661 00:46:33,940 --> 00:46:35,500 Bloody hell! 662 00:46:38,580 --> 00:46:40,420 The size of this tree! 663 00:46:42,620 --> 00:46:44,460 How old do you think this one is? 664 00:47:18,260 --> 00:47:22,620 So, the forest isn't just your larder, it's your pharmacy. 665 00:47:40,300 --> 00:47:44,980 Just hidden here amongst 100ft trees, 666 00:47:44,980 --> 00:47:48,020 suddenly you just find these epic remains. 667 00:47:50,900 --> 00:47:53,900 This is the ancient city of Yaxchilan. 668 00:47:56,900 --> 00:48:01,260 There's incredible ruins, all the way down there! 669 00:48:01,260 --> 00:48:03,020 All around! 670 00:48:03,020 --> 00:48:08,020 Feels like stumbling upon a secret kingdom. 671 00:48:08,020 --> 00:48:11,420 We have stumbled into a secret kingdom! 672 00:48:11,420 --> 00:48:15,340 This city was built by the Maya, the culture and civilisation 673 00:48:15,340 --> 00:48:20,540 which flourished here for more than 2,000 years, until around 900 AD. 674 00:48:20,540 --> 00:48:23,380 Pablo, what is Yaxchilan? 675 00:48:41,460 --> 00:48:43,300 Is that a howler monkey? 676 00:48:50,220 --> 00:48:51,620 It's a howler monkey. 677 00:48:51,620 --> 00:48:53,260 In the trees! 678 00:48:56,620 --> 00:49:00,420 The majesty and scale of the Maya civilisation is only now being 679 00:49:00,420 --> 00:49:02,820 fully revealed. 680 00:49:02,820 --> 00:49:05,660 Archaeologists are using lasers to uncover Maya 681 00:49:05,660 --> 00:49:10,380 cites in Central America with tens of thousands of buildings. 682 00:49:10,380 --> 00:49:12,540 How do you feel when you come here? 683 00:49:25,780 --> 00:49:29,500 It's quite an impressive claim, isn't it, to be the descendent 684 00:49:29,500 --> 00:49:34,580 of one of the most sophisticated human civilisations in our history? 685 00:49:45,900 --> 00:49:49,940 Hold on a second! I want to get a good look at this. 686 00:49:49,940 --> 00:49:52,740 Are you saying this is a classic Mayan nose? 687 00:50:01,940 --> 00:50:05,940 The latest revelations about the Maya mean world history 688 00:50:05,940 --> 00:50:07,180 is being rewritten. 689 00:50:11,020 --> 00:50:14,140 It's now thought the areas around great Maya cities could have 690 00:50:14,140 --> 00:50:17,220 been home to up to ten million people, with markets, 691 00:50:17,220 --> 00:50:19,380 palaces, irrigation systems, roads. 692 00:50:21,020 --> 00:50:23,700 It's been described as one of the most sophisticated 693 00:50:23,700 --> 00:50:26,420 infrastructural civilisations in world history. 694 00:50:28,380 --> 00:50:33,220 In 1492, Christopher Columbus claimed he'd discovered a new world. 695 00:50:33,220 --> 00:50:37,460 In many ways, this was the old. By then, the Maya were long gone, 696 00:50:37,460 --> 00:50:39,060 but there were other huge cities 697 00:50:39,060 --> 00:50:41,060 in the Americas rivalling any in Europe. 698 00:50:42,580 --> 00:50:46,820 Indigenous people have often been marginalised in the history 699 00:50:46,820 --> 00:50:49,020 of the Americas. 700 00:50:49,020 --> 00:50:53,740 In schools, people are still taught often, around the world, that brave 701 00:50:53,740 --> 00:50:57,140 European explorers came across the Atlantic Ocean 702 00:50:57,140 --> 00:51:01,700 and discovered a land largely empty of people. 703 00:51:01,700 --> 00:51:03,300 And that is completely untrue. 704 00:51:03,300 --> 00:51:05,620 At the time Europeans arrived in the Americas, 705 00:51:05,620 --> 00:51:08,620 there were tens of millions of people living on these 706 00:51:08,620 --> 00:51:11,540 continents, often in hugely sophisticated cities. 707 00:51:14,180 --> 00:51:16,660 The Europeans conquered with horses and guns, 708 00:51:16,660 --> 00:51:20,540 but they also introduced diseases like small pox, measles and flu, 709 00:51:20,540 --> 00:51:24,780 which annihilated indigenous people, who had no immunity against them. 710 00:51:24,780 --> 00:51:30,500 Some academics have estimated that in the first 130 years after 711 00:51:30,500 --> 00:51:34,980 Europeans appeared off the coastline with their horrible new diseases, 712 00:51:34,980 --> 00:51:40,420 up to 95% of the population of the Americas may have perished. 713 00:51:40,420 --> 00:51:43,260 It's thought to have been one of the greatest demographic 714 00:51:43,260 --> 00:51:45,140 disasters in our history. 715 00:51:48,540 --> 00:51:51,060 Many of those that survived, like the Lacandon, 716 00:51:51,060 --> 00:51:53,380 were in remote jungles. 717 00:51:53,380 --> 00:51:56,420 But now, Pablo and his community face new threats. 718 00:51:58,900 --> 00:52:00,540 Bloody hell! 719 00:52:05,180 --> 00:52:06,820 What...? What has happened here? 720 00:52:10,340 --> 00:52:13,420 They have chopped and hacked the rainforest down. 721 00:52:13,420 --> 00:52:16,140 You can see where they've burnt it here. 722 00:52:30,620 --> 00:52:32,380 Who's done this? 723 00:52:37,340 --> 00:52:41,180 It's a cheap way of clearing land to feed a family. 724 00:53:03,500 --> 00:53:07,180 Pablo, how on earth do you feel when you see this? 725 00:53:34,300 --> 00:53:38,100 Most of the deforestation that's happened to this rainforest 726 00:53:38,100 --> 00:53:40,500 has happened in the last half century. 727 00:53:41,900 --> 00:53:46,260 The Lacandon lived in the rainforest for hundreds of years without 728 00:53:46,260 --> 00:53:49,420 destroying it. Throughout the Americas, 729 00:53:49,420 --> 00:53:52,660 indigenous groups are dying out because of deforestation. 730 00:53:54,940 --> 00:53:58,140 Rainforests are under threat across the entire Tropics. 731 00:53:59,540 --> 00:54:01,660 As well as clearing for agriculture, 732 00:54:01,660 --> 00:54:05,460 millions of acres are taken for logging, plantations and mining. 733 00:54:07,060 --> 00:54:10,780 It's been estimated more than 15 billion trees are now being 734 00:54:10,780 --> 00:54:14,940 cut down each year, cut and chopped and burned. 735 00:54:17,060 --> 00:54:19,660 It's a disaster for the climate and for biodiversity. 736 00:54:20,820 --> 00:54:24,140 The Lacandon Rainforest is one of the most biodiverse on the 737 00:54:24,140 --> 00:54:30,820 planet, with 1,500 tree species and a third of all Mexican bird species. 738 00:54:30,820 --> 00:54:33,620 It's a biodiversity hot spot 739 00:54:33,620 --> 00:54:36,140 and Pablo has dedicated his life to its protection. 740 00:54:38,220 --> 00:54:39,940 What's this? 741 00:54:39,940 --> 00:54:41,660 A wildlife camera? 742 00:54:46,460 --> 00:54:49,540 Your camera has caught a jaguar crossing the track, just here? 743 00:54:58,140 --> 00:55:01,740 What have you got? Oh, you've got the footage on the phone! 744 00:55:01,740 --> 00:55:03,780 Look at that cat! 745 00:55:09,220 --> 00:55:10,900 In your forest! 746 00:55:10,900 --> 00:55:12,460 How special is that?! 747 00:55:35,180 --> 00:55:36,660 Wow! 748 00:55:36,660 --> 00:55:38,100 This is mine for the night. 749 00:55:41,140 --> 00:55:43,500 Or at least, upstairs here, apparently. 750 00:55:43,500 --> 00:55:44,740 Fantastic! 751 00:55:44,740 --> 00:55:47,660 I had a room for the night in one of Pablo's guesthouses. 752 00:55:50,660 --> 00:55:52,540 Oh! 753 00:55:53,740 --> 00:55:55,620 Fantastic! 754 00:55:57,180 --> 00:55:59,220 A bed for the night, 755 00:55:59,220 --> 00:56:00,660 in the rainforest! 756 00:56:13,020 --> 00:56:16,820 THUNDER RUMBLES 757 00:56:21,220 --> 00:56:23,020 We've been invited for dinner. 758 00:56:25,820 --> 00:56:29,140 Hola! 759 00:56:34,380 --> 00:56:38,220 We saw some terrible deforestation today. 760 00:56:38,220 --> 00:56:41,260 What do you think is the future for the forest 761 00:56:41,260 --> 00:56:42,740 and for the Lacandon people? 762 00:57:02,580 --> 00:57:04,420 That's absolutely horrific. 763 00:57:06,060 --> 00:57:09,980 Ten years? You think it could be gone in one decade? 764 00:57:58,860 --> 00:58:02,460 ANIMAL BELLOWS 765 00:58:02,460 --> 00:58:05,620 You can't always see life in the rainforest, but you can hear it! 766 00:58:10,460 --> 00:58:12,460 Heroes like Pablo give me hope. 767 00:58:14,460 --> 00:58:17,900 There is still much that can be done to save the environment, 768 00:58:17,900 --> 00:58:22,980 and us, as I discovered on the next leg of my journey, 769 00:58:22,980 --> 00:58:26,700 which took me on into Central America and to beautiful, 770 00:58:26,700 --> 00:58:27,900 green Costa Rica. 771 00:58:30,540 --> 00:58:34,660 But before that... BANG 772 00:58:34,660 --> 00:58:36,940 ..I hit the violent streets of El Salvador... 773 00:58:36,940 --> 00:58:38,460 Bloody scary! 774 00:58:38,460 --> 00:58:41,980 ..and meet a team of young volunteer paramedics making a difference. 775 00:58:41,980 --> 00:58:44,740 How you been? Welcome to El Salvador! Thank you, mate.