In the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, a narrow portion of Mexican territory where 300 kilometers separate the Pacific from the Atlantic, an inter-oceanic corridor alternative to the Panama Canal is being built, raising economic expectations but also controversies. The project, envisioned by Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes in the 16th century and pursued by Mexico for nearly a century, is being developed in a culturally rich region with numerous Indigenous peoples. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES