Mogollon

Times staff writers McDonnell and Linthicum reported from Mexico City while special correspondents Mery Mogollón and Nelson Rauda contributed, respectively, from Caracas, Venezuela, and San Salvador.

The city sits on the Mogollon Rim, at the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau, which drops off as rapidly as it rises.

While jaguars seem exotic to Arizonans today, McSpadden pointed out that the American southwest has historically been part of the jaguars' northern range, stretching across the Sky Island Mountains and the Mogollon Rim.

McSpadden observed that this can happen in "multiple ways," from reintroducing populations to the "absolutely critical" goal of protecting their potential habitats like the Sky Islands, the Mogollon Rim and Gila National Forest.

McDonnell reported from Mexico City and special correspondent Mogollón from Caracas.