although he shows the monumental influence of Mexican painters, especially of Siqueiros, and is preoccupied with the third dimension. In this group the young Mexican engraver and painter Guillermo Meza, a born draftsman, can likewise be placed.

Among the Mexicans mention should also be made of Alfredo Zalce, one of the most important figures in the Taller de Gráfica Popular. In his drawing called Silos we find especially a sincere and deep devotion to the Japanese manner, which here results in a rich composition clearly drawn in pen and ink.

The decisive and taut pen-and-ink drawing is most frequent in the collection under discussion. Examples are found in the work of Antonio Sotomayor of Bolivia, which was recently discussed in the pages of the BULLETIN. Raúl Anguiano of Mexico, who belongs to the same generation as Zalce and Meza, is also among this number. From Cuba there are a number of representatives, among whom Luis 1 June 1946.

1

Courtesy of Perls Galleries, New York.

LUIS MARTÍNEZ-PEDRO (CUBA): LEGEND OF GIADRUNAMA. PEN AND INK

From the collection of the Perls Galleries, New York.

Courtesy of the Council for Inter-American Cooperation, Inc.

CÂNDIDO PORTINARI (BRAZIL): INDIAN
HEAD. CHARCOAL DRAWING
Study for the frescoes in the Hispanic Foundation
of the Library of Congress, Washington, D. C.
From the Library of Congress collection.

painters with a predilection for color harmonies. Among those whose work is to be found here are Emiliano di Cavalcanti and Noemia, both from the active group in São Paulo. They are properly represented by pen-and-ink drawings of a lyrical expressionism.

The Chilean Roberto Matta, who is

devoted to an abstract surrealism, makes good use of labyrinthine flowing lines by which he sets forth intricate graphic nightmares.

Rodolfo Castagna and Hemilce Saforcada, two Argentines whose work as painter and print maker, respectively, has recently been exhibited at the Pan American

Union, contributed pleasant substantial drawings. The same may be said of Oswaldo Guayasamín of Ecuador.

Artists of varying and sometimes opposing schools have been ably brought together to show us a fairly complete panorama of a serious and sometimes little cultivated aspect of the fine arts. The Latin American artists in this case show their understanding of the importance of drawing as a means of expression and of the rigorous demands of this simplified pictorial language. It is not in vain that drawing is first of all omission, elimination of the superfluous, suppression of the des

DOTTED lines on a map have always fascinated me. Whether they mean very bad roads or an uncertain boundary, they always imply mystery and give me the urge to explore. It is therefore not surprising that the Peninsula of Lower California should have aroused my interest. Surprisingly little is known about this Mexican peninsula that extends for almost a thousand miles below the American State of California. Its roads are usually dotted on the map because of the uncertainty of their location or passability.

My first trip to Lower (Baja) California occurred in 1941. After much preparation, a party of seven, all of whom were interested in geology or natural history, proceeded across the border at Tijuana, bound for Santa Rosalía and if possible La Paz. It had been very difficult to obtain

information on the country, its climate, road conditions, food, water, and gas supply. Neither residents of nearby Southern California nor officials of Mexico City could offer many suggestions, and some of those offered were definitely wrong. So, we decided that the only way to find out about these matters was to go and see for ourselves.

For the first 80 miles, to Ensenada, the road was paved and offered us no problems. Beyond that, travel became increasingly difficult, and we could often drive at no more than five or ten miles per hour. There had been considerable rain in the mountains on the east side of the peninsula, causing the arroyos to be flooded. Since bridges were unknown in this area, we frequently had great difficulty crossing these swollen streams.

After three days of travel we reached the Hamilton Ranch, a well known "dude ranch" about 180 miles south of the border. At that time it was run by two very charming English ladies who made our stay extremely pleasant. We spent a few days resting and collecting specimens from this area, and then started southward. The desert country became more and more desolate, but also more and more fascinating to the scientist. Great Saguarro cactus was abundant, and there was also other interesting desert vegetation including the cirio (Idria columnaris), that peculiar plant related to the ocotillo, another characteristic Lower California species.

Stops were made for collecting purposes at various places along the shores of the Pacific, at the onyx mine at El Marmol

Map and Photographs by Horace G. Richards

and the fossil outcrops near San Ignacio. Finally after about ten days of travel we reached our first objective, the copper mining town of Santa Rosalía located on the Gulf of California, some 700 miles by road south of the border.

This mine is operated by a French company and has been producing copper for many years. Before World War II, it was practically abandoned because of the low grade ore being mined. However, the great need for the mineral brought about by the war created a market for even the low grade ore. Besides the main mine, there were several smaller shafts that operated independently but sold their ore to the smelter of the French company.

Much of the southern part of the peninsula had been covered by the sea during