Mendez recounts the story of Rio Escondido, the 1950 film that credits him with being the 'intertitler' and on which a 1948 series of 10 woodcuts was based: A young Mexican schoolteacher, inspired by humanitarian and patriotic ideals, goes to the aid of a village enslaved by a cacique, a political gangster boss. Rio Escondido (Hidden River) is the name of this village where physical thirst, thirst for liberty, thirst for everything dominates. The only well in town with drinking water has become the exclusive property of this barbarian, the master of everyting: of the ranches, lands, herds, of the looms where 'serapes' are made by nearly naked workers to satisfy capricious tourists. The school house has been turned into a stable by the cacique. Finally, led by the little country teacher, the thug and his gangsters are overthrown. In the end the little teacher, weakened by the titanic struggle, dies. This in brief is the theme. The script and direction are by Emilio Fernandez. And the marvelous photography, with truly plastic qualities, was done by the famous cameraman Gabrial Figueroa. All this stimulated me to develop these ten engravings. It is my first attempt with my small engraving pencil to create a graphic art-work in full screen size. L. MENDEZ