In part two of the series, "Indigenous Always," Banda uses the story of La Malinche, the Indian woman who was Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes' translator and eventually the mother of his sons, to portray the experiences of mixed-race Americans.

"She was seen as a traitor to her culture, and that has always been part of the Mexican experience historically," said Banda, who is half Mexican and half Norwegian. "Mexicans in America often struggle with trying to balance becoming part of American culture while holding on to their Mexican culture."

"Indigenous Always" aired nationally on PBS in 2000, received five Emmy nominations and won two, in addition to four other industry awards.

Banda has been shooting for part three, "After the Immigrant," for about a year. The final installment focuses on experiences of Mexicans today, specifically the media portrayal of Mexicans, Banda said. He hopes it will be ready in about a year.

In addition to Wisconsin Public Television, Banda also has worked with the UW-Madison, the University of California-Santa Barbara and the University of Maryland to produce the series. Banda will present "After the Immigrant" at a conference in May in Santa Barbara. He narrates all three shows and will be on camera in the third show.

While working on his documentary package Banda, who with his wife Anne has two children, Maren and Joshua, found time to create an exhibit for the Mexican Fine Arts Museum in Chicago.

The exhibit, "Mexicanidad," illustrates the history of Mexican identity from Indian culture to the mixture of cuture today in America, Banda said. It incorporates a nine-screen video wall, murals painted by Mexican artists and two members of the Milwaukee Ballet who perform an interpretive dance of the Mexican experience. The exhibit will be on display for five years.

Banda hopes his work will provide balance to the history that currently is taught in schools.

"When I was a kid, the only thing we learned in school about Mexicans was negative," Banda said. "The stories I'm telling are just another chapter in the American story. I never saw a book about Mexican history written by a Mexican until my wife handed me one a few years ago."

When Banda wraps up his series, he hopes to start working on his dream project. Anthropological evidence indicates that Spanish explorers may not have been the first whites to reach Mexico, but Scandinavian Vikings may have gotten there 300 to 400 years before Hernando Cortes. Banda has already begun making contacts in Mexico and doing preliminary research on the issue.

"I'll go to Mexico and trace the paths of exploration," Banda said. "This could turn into a new history lesson."

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