The Tarahumara Indians are one of the only unconquered indigenous groups in Mexico. Renowned as long distance endurance runners, they live in isolated villages in the rugged Sierra Madre of the state of Chihuahua. The Tarahumara have survived various threats for over 500 years. Today, they find themselves caught between poverty, drought, corrupt timber exploitation and drug traffickers.Since the 1990’s, scientists studying the Sierra Madre old growth forests have grown alarmed as drug traffickers cut down huge swaths of forests to grow poppies and marijuana. One of the leading reformers was a young Mexican agricultural engineer named Edwin Bustillo who was of partial Tarahumara descent. He was trying to organize the Tarahumara to create a biosphere reserve as a way to protect their ancestral homeland.

Seasoned producer John Burnett traveled with Bustillo and several biologists into the mountains to attend one of his conservation workshops among the Indians, to witness first hand the destruction drug lords brought to the sierra and see how the Tarahumara were fighting back.

The Soundprint documentary series features the best work of top radio producers. The award winning documentaries are renowned for drawing the listener into the story with compelling interviews, authentic voices and rich sound. From memoirs to science, health and popular culture, Soundprint creates a powerful experience the listener will not soon forget. In the Long Run: The Tarahumara Indians was produced with support from the National Science Foundation.